Francis Tayor
Warri_____ A warri based veteran journalist cum the Publisher of Daily Watch Newspaper, Mr. Cletus Opukeme has raised alarm on threat to his life and family members by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio over his exposure of Akpabio's massive looting in NDDC before Nigerians and the National Assembly.
Mr. Opukeme blows the alarm in a Press Release dated Wednesday 27th May, 2020 charged Sen. Akpabio to do the needful by approaching the law court to challenge Daily Watch publication against him if he feels it is libelous and defamatory rather than using the DSS and Nigerian police to go after his life. He called on the lnspector General of Police, Mr. Adamu Muhammed to hold Akpabio responsible if anything happens to him and any member of his family.
According to the Press Release, read:
THREAT TO MY LIFE
My attention has been drawn to a clandestine move by Niger Delta Minister Godwill Akpabio who is the supervising minister of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) using crooked Inspector General Police (IGP) Boys to abduct me and do whatever thing they were instructed to do to me over Daily Watch exposes of the monumental fraud in NDDC running to billions of naira that had attracted the Senate and National House or Reprsentative to set up various committees to probe the commission Interim Management Committee.
Yesterday, the IGP boys from Abuja traced me from Abuja to the office of the Nigerian Union of journalists office in Warri,Delta State and in a commando like manner abducted Mr. Matthew Omonigho away who later called that he was dumped at Area Commander office Warri.
The Union leadership sent a delegation to the police station to know why he was arrested without reason for his arrest and bundled away like a common criminal and manhandled.
The police instead of listening to the NUJ delegation confisticated all their phones and detained them also
The Police told them that they were special squad sent from Abuja to arrest Mr. Cletus Opukeme, the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief of Daily Watch.
I want to categorically warn that the so called crooked IGP paid boys and other security operatives should stay away from Daily Watch publications. That if Senator Godswill Akpabio or any other person feel aggrieved by our published storis. They know the right option which is to seek for redress as the court is there for them to sue Daily Watch publisher and allow the judiciary to determine our publication whether it is libelous and defamatiory. It is not the place of DSS ,the IGP boys or any other security operatives to be used to intimidate Daily Watch over our genuine investigations which first exposed large scale of financial missapproriation in NDDC. Senator Akpabio has turned NDDC to a cash cow looting the common wealth of the people of Niger Delta and intimidation or arrest by IGP Boys /DSS cannot frighten us from doing what we know how to do best by informing the public the right information.
The invasion of Warri NUJ office by the crooked IGP TEAM to arrest a journalist is an embarrassment to democracy in the country as journalists have freedom of expression enshrined on the nation's constitution.
If Akpabio is aggrieved by our publications for exposing his massive looting, he should go to court and stop intimidating me with the police and ex-militants to gag the press from doing our Constitutional duties
The said IG squad called one of the arrested journalists to direct them to Cletus Opukeme's residence who identified himself as Reuben with the following phone
one Reuben with mobile phone number:08116912068 quoting the reporter ''One Mr. Reuben just called now requesting to know if I have been able to see Cletus. I told him that he only called me this morning wherein I asked him to be at the Area Command with me in solidarity and he refused. Again, he asked if I know any link with which they could get him and I said No. He later cut the call''
Therefore, I am calling the Inspector General of Police Mr. Mohammed Adamu to hold Niger Delta minister Godswill Akpabio and the members of the NDDC Interim management committee responsible, if anything happens to my life and my members of my immediate family.
The same similar threats were being made by unidentified members over campaign against Akpabio's massive looting by Izanzan which after a protest was made against Akpabio and his NDDC IMC within a week assassins shot dead the vibrand and resourceful spokesman Comrade Famous Believe on the 18th May 2020 which police is investigating the murderers till now.
Signed:
Cletus Opukeme
Publisher/ Editor-in- Chief
Daily Watch.
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