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The management of First News online newspaper has apologised to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over a news story published on its platform on January 29, 2024.
The story written by the medium’s editor, Segun Olatunji, was entitled, “How Gbajabiamila attempted to corner $30bn, 66 houses traced to Sabiu.”
The First News Management, in a statement on Wednesday, May 8, said it had discovered the said story contained “falsehoods and fabricated stories handed out to us as facts by a misleading source which was highly negligent on our part and for which we deeply tender an unreserved apology to the Chief of Staff to the President.”
“As a responsible media organisation, we wish to state very categorically that we have no malicious intent towards the person of the Chief of Staff to the President or his office. Hence, our decision to tender an unreserved apology and the need to publish a retraction of the said story.”
Segun Olatunji was arrested and detained in an underground cell by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The Publisher of FirstNews Online, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the case has been settled out of court.
Olatunji was abducted in his home in the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos state in March, eliciting wild condemnation from the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and International Press Institute (IPI).
The management of the online Newspaper initially linked the action to a recent story published by FirstNews titled, “Revealed: “Defence Chief running an office like a family business – Public Interest Lawyers”, but later knew it was the anti-Gbajabiamila story.
The arrest has thrown panic among the staff of the newspaper.
It was gathered that his wife, Abiodun Olatunji, said the armed men numbering ten arrived at their residence, a few minutes after 6 pm and whisked her husband away without leaving any information behind as to where they were taking him to.
She said her husband’s abductors reached for his phone and seized it immediately after they arrived before bundling him into a van like a common criminal and zooming off.
While further narrating the incident, she said efforts to know his offence or where they were taken him to, were rebuffed by the stern-looking men.
“Some armed men dressed in military uniform totalling ten in number (two in uniform and the remaining 8 in mufti but all armed) arrived at our residence at Dauda Oriyomi street, Iyana Odo along Joke Ayo in Abule Egba area of Lagos State and took away my husband.
“They refused to state his offence and where they were taken him to despite all the efforts to make them do so”, she said.
The Publisher of FirstNews, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who also confirmed the incident, said there has been no trace of Olatunji, as his phone line has been switched, neither has anyone reached the family or the management of FirstNews to disclose the real reason behind his abduction.
While condemning the way and manner Olatunji was whisked away, Iworiso-Markson stated that he was never invited formally to answer any issue that bothered national security.
“The management of FirstNews is using this opportunity to call on the military high command and the security agencies to let us know his whereabouts and the reason why he was arrested.
“FirstNews (online & print) is a reputable independent digital news network that prides itself on being a frontline media outfit committed to engaging her world-class audience with factual, authentic, and credible information.
“We conduct our journalism activities with strict observance of the high standards of ethics, accountability, professionalism, and legality while exercising our rights to freedom of expression and information, all in a bid to ensure credible reporting of the news behind the news in Politics, Business, Education, Sport, Health, Entertainment and many more.
“If there was any infraction that bothers on national security, Olatunji should have first been formally invited rather than this Gestapo style of arrest that reminds of the dark days of the military era, where press freedom was stifled.”
It must however, be noted that First News Online has no relationship with First Weekly Magazine, published offline and online by First Weekly Ventures.
