Releases Amour after several hours of detention
By Douglas Mojaye
The Delta State Police Command has invited the Managing Editor of BIG PEN NIGERIA Online, Mr Joe Ogbodu to Asaba for questioning over a petition leveled against the renowned journalist by yet-to-be identified persons.
BIG PEN is one of the fast rising online medium in the country.
The reason for the invitation of the editor was not clear at the time of filing this report, but sources claimed that the invitation was not unconnected with a report the medium had recently published.
This is coming barely 24 hours after a popular journalist and social critic, Mr Amour Udemude, was also invited and detained at the state police command for several hours over a report he was alleged to have published.
Amour, Delta State correspondent of the National Mirror, was later released at about 9pm on Tuesday night.
Ogbodu confirmed his invitation to our correspondent on phone on Wednesday when contacted.
The Managing Editor of the online platform said he received his invitation to appear before the command through the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state command.
He further added that he was ready to report to the command to clear himself of any wrong doing.
Ogbodu, who doubled as the Secretary of the NUJ Warri Correspondent Chapel, alleged that he had been receiving strange calls since his invitation.
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According to him, “I have been officially invited by the Criminal Investigation Department of Delta State Police Command for reason yet to be communicated to me.
“However, in the past 24 hours I have received series of phone calls indicating that I am being invited by the police over a news story published on BIGPEN ONLINE @bigpenreports in respect to oil crisis in Uzere, Isoko South, Delta state, Nigeria.”
The online editor claimed that his invitation will not be unconnected with a report on the recent crisis at Uzere community in Isoko South Local Government titled “Delta Community Turns ‘Ghost Town’ As Youths Unleash Mayhem Over N20m Oil Largesse.”
“We ran the oil crisis story following journalistic ethical standards and international best practices. We have not erred in anyway to warrant a police invitation or any security scrutiny whatsoever in carrying out our civic duties to inform the public.
“As a law-abiding citizen, I am on my way to honour the invitation but can’t say what the outcome would look like”, he added.
At the time of filing this report, Ogbodu has arrived the State Police Command in Asaba for questioning.
