Mr. Daniel Ekiugbo, an Ughelli-based publisher of a local tabloid, Ughelli Times Magazine, has regained his freedom after four months of incarceration.
Mr. Ekiugbo’s was arrested at his Ughelli residence in Delta State on Tuesday night of 25th, October, 2016 by operatives of the Delta State command of the Department of State Security (DSS), over an undisclosed offence.
HardReporters had learnt that Ekiugbo’s arrest was on the instructions of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, over an alleged libelous report published against him by the Journalist.
It was reliably gathered that the publisher, who is a member of the Urhobo Media Group, spent over two months in DSS custody, Delta State command without trial before he was whisked away to the DSS headquarters in Abuja where he was said to have been freed yesterday.
While in detention in Asaba, all efforts by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State chapter, led by Mr. Norbeth Chiazor yield no fruit.
A source at the DSS, who confided in HardReporters disclosed that the arrest of Mr. Ekiugbo was not unconnected to some very sensitive security related issues.
