The four Warri, Delta State journalists who were arrested Tuesday by police detectives from Abuja have regained their freedom.
Police detectives had stormed the Press Centre of the Warri Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to arrest them.
The arrested journalists are Mr. Matthew Omonigho of the Daily Post Online, Mr Edeki Egafe of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Francis Sadhere of Business Day and Mr Christopher Odamah, a freelance journalist.
The three other journalists, are the leadership of the Chapel sent to know the crime Omonigho committed and were reportedly arrested and detained by the operatives.
No reason was given for the arrest of the Daily Post reporter and the other three journalists.
It was gathered that the journalists were freed following the intervention of the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa and the chairman of the state council of NUJ, Comrade Michael Ikeagwu.
The chairman of the Warri NUJ, Mr. Okies Vicky, confirmed the release of the four journalists but added that they were released after the detective obtained statement from them.
This medium, however, has not been able to reach the newsmen on why they were arrested.
The arrest, it was said is capable of instilling fear of possible clamp down among Journalists in the state particularly with the failure of the police to disclose their offences in accordance with the provision of Section 6(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, a fundamental rights lawyer said.
Meanwhile, efforts by the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ),, Warri Area Commander, Mr Muhammed Garba, and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Inuwa, to resolve the matter were commended.
