It was gathered that some soldiers had early hours of Saturday impounded the van conveying copies of the newspaper to the state in Ogere, Ogun state, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Armed soldier had also of Friday stormed the same centre looking for some newspapers they claimed they had orders ‘from above’ to seize
The operation also extended to other parts of the metropolis as nearly all the distribution vans conveying Saturday’s edition of several newspapers were stopped at Eiyenkorin area or on the Ilorin-Ogbomosho expressway. The drivers of the vans were detained and their phones seized.
The driver who drove a consignment of The Nation newspaper and that of The Sun were still being detained by the soldiers beside the road as at 4.00pm.
The soldiers who came to the centre on Saturday in a patrol van with an inscription “Operation Harmony” as early as 5am, stationed their vehicles in front of The Nation office very opposite the distribution centre in the state capital.
Vehicles that plied the Emir’s Road axis of the metropolis were thoroughly searched by the fierce looking soldiers, apparently looking for copies of The Nation newspapers.
The soldiers, it was gathered did not leave the centre until around 2pm .
A avid reader of The Nation newspaper described the action repressive, anachronistic and a throwback to military era.
Why soldiers confiscated newspaper vans – DHQ
The Defence Headquarters on Friday confirmed that troops were indeed given directives to search newspaper distribution vans for “materials with grave security implications.”
A statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, however said the exercise had nothing to do with the contents or operations of the affected newspaper organisations or their personnel.
The statement reads in part: “The Defence Headquarters wishes to clarify that the exercise has nothing to do with content or operation of the media organizations or their personnel as it is being wrongly imputed by a section of the press.
“The military appreciates and indeed respects the role of the media as an indispensable partner in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation and the overall advancement of our country’s democratic credentials. As such, the military will not deliberately and without cause, infringe on the freedom of the press.
“The general public and the affected media organizations in particular are assured that the exercise was a routine security action and should not be misconstrued for any other motive.”
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