Edo: News firm raises alarm over harassment of editor, seeks public apology

By Osaro Michael, Benin

A popular news company, the Info Daily Media Limited, publisher of Info Daily online newspaper, has condemned in strong terms the alleged harassment of its Editor by a Benin-based Rev. Craig Omorotionmwan, General Overseer of Helpline Ministry International.

According to a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City on Saturday by John Akpos, Chairman of the Editorial Board said the publication involving the clergyman is already in court hence he should desist from using operatives of the Nigeria Police Force to harass the journalist.

The Editorial Board argued that the publication of which the journalist is invited by the Force Headquarters is already in court, urging the police to distance itself from the matter.

The Board insisted that the publication of which it was reported that the Benin-based General-Overseer hypnotised a 27-year-old NYSC member was not fabricated, adding that the mother of the said girl “cried out to us and we reported it, and not just that we reported it, we reached out to the man in question but he didn’t pick.”

The newspaper team said: “A situation whereby the Force Intelligence Unit, Abuja, is inviting our hardworking editor for interrogation in disguise of investigation in a matter that is already in court, we regard it as harassment, intimidation, and an attempt to silence the media. We condemn this in strong terms.

“A woman cried to Info Daily that her daughter who was serving in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), was flown from Abuja to Benin by the said Rev. Omorotionmwan, and that since then the daughter has been living with him. We reported it as said, so what is criminal about that?

“After she spoke with us with the allegation that the said Rev. hypnotised her daughter, that she has been behaving strangely, we called the girl in question, she picked and denied being hypnotised, thereafter we called the Rev. he refused to pick several calls, thinking that the story will die since he refused to pick, but we went ahead to publish the story, indicating in our report that he refused to pick calls. Ordinarily, we expected him to call our organisation or any media organisation to narrate his own side of the story, but he chose to go to court, requesting N1bn as damages from us. The matter is already in court so what is the role of the police in a civil matter?,” the team questioned.

The Editorial Board, therefore, appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to prevail on his men not to be used by the Benin-based General-Overseer.

The team added: “The IGP was in Benin yesterday and we saw how he spoke against impunity. He declared that impunity would not be tolerated under his watch, this is another impunity mission the operatives are about to embark on. He should not allow his men to be used by some persons who feel they are influential.”