FG drops charges against Journalists in Abuja

The federal government on Friday withdrew all six-count charges against an Abuja-based online newspaper, Order Paper, and nine officers of the media organization.

Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Tosin Adeola Ajayi advised the federal government to withdraw the charges.

It emerged Thursday that the Federal Government had sued the media house for allegedly publishing a false report that DSS operatives, on October 16, stormed the National Assembly on the basis of a rumoured plot to unseat Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Considering what the DSS said was the serious national security threats and local and international embarrassment the story caused, they sued Order Paper and it’s officials.

However, a credible source in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who filed the suit, disclosed that the charges were withdrawn after the DSS boss reached out to their office.

“The new DG, DSS, Mr. Ajayi, reached out to us. He told my boss that the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI), which facilitated the early release of Order Paper’s admin officer, Ms. Edna Ulaeto, also played a key role. The people at Order Paper came to the DSS office, admitted their mistake, apologized, and promised to be more professional,” said the DPP officer.

“From the visit of the Order Paper officials, the DSS boss further told my bosses, it was clear that the reporters were misled by less than credible sources in the National Assembly.

“Above all, added the DSS DG, the Order Paper management, on realizing their mistake, had quickly retracted the story. Being an adherent for civility, Mr. Tosin Ajayi therefore felt that the interventions by relevant professional bodies, including the IPI and Nigeria Union of Journalists, and the remorse by Order Paper, were sufficient to warrant the withdrawal of the charges,” the official of the Ministry of Justice declared.