The management of FirstNews has sent a letter to Gen. Chris Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, asking for the whereabouts of Segun Olatunji, who was kidnapped from his Lagos home on March 16.
Segun Olatunji, who used to work as a correspondent for The PUNCH in Kaduna State, was taken from his home in Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos by 10 armed men.
He has not been found since the kidnapping on March 16. You can read more about this at https://punchng.com/gunmen-abduct-firstnews-editor-in-lagos/
The letter was written because Segun Olatunji has been missing for several days since he was taken from his home in Lagos.
The letter, which was titled “Arrest and Detention of Mr Segun Olatunji, Editor FirstNews” and signed by the publisher, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, requested the CDS to help them find out where the journalist is.
The letter asked the CDS to help them find Segun and let his family, doctor, and lawyers see him if he is in their custody. It also asked for details of any wrongdoings and said if he had committed a serious crime, he should be taken to court.
The letter also explained how Segun Olatunji was taken and mentioned the initial alarm raised by his wife after witnessing the incident.
According to the letter, Olatunji's wife contacted FirstNews on March 15, 2024, to report that armed men had taken her husband from their home in Lagos.
The armed men did not say why they were taking him or where they were going. This led many to believe it was a military abduction.
Because there was no information about his abduction, the family contacted the police and asked for help from the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The family also reached out to the police and other organizations for help, since there was no information about the abduction.
As of now, Segun Olatunji is still missing, causing great worry for his family due to his health conditions as an ulcer and asthmatic patient.
FirstNews hopes the good relationship between the media and the current administration will also extend to finding their missing editor.
The group also used the letter to express sympathy with the military for the deaths of its officers and soldiers in Okuama, Delta State.
