TheCable

Dr. Doyin Okupe has described as “untrue” media reports that the federal government had ordered a clampdown on some media houses, saying the current “security checks” on newspaper vans will be over soon.

The senior special assistant on public affairs to the president told a news conference on Saturday that the President Goodluck Jonathan knew nothing about it.

Critics have queried the possibility of the military launching such a major operation against the media without the knowledge of its commander-in-chief.

Nigerian soldiers on Friday and Saturday seized copies of newspapers produced by Daily Trust, Leadership, Punch, The Nation and Guardian claiming that they had “orders” to do so.

This action has been widely condemned, but the military spokesman Major-Gen. Chris Olukolade said the soldiers were acting on an intelligence report that newspaper vans were being used to convey “security sensitive” materials, understood to be bombs.

The newspapers have rejected the claim, alleging that this was an attack on them because of some stories considered offensive to the military high command.

Okupe said: “The reported incidents of checks being carried out by the military on major Nigerian roads and cities is not targeted at newspaper vans because of the contents of the publications as insinuated.

“Rather, the military had explained that those routine checks were being carried out following intelligence reports.”

He said there had been reports that of some elements within the society planned to use such vehicles to convey materials with grave security implications across the country.

“While we sympathise with media houses which might have suffered one discomfort or the other as a result of these security checks, we assert, for the avoidance of doubt that the president has not and will never give any order capable of hampering the smooth running of any media organisation,” Okupe maintained.

He added that government would neither engage in nor encourage any acts that would constitute an assault on any media organisation or infringe on the freedom of the press.

According to him, the military has assured that no personal liberties of media practitioners or their employees will be unlawfully tampered with.

He added that as soon as there was significant reduction in the level of the security alert, the exercise would be relaxed.

The presidential aide further maintained that because “we live in very trying times”, some sections or sectors of the society might experience some temporary discomfort.

This, he said, was in the overall interest of ensuring that the ideals of freedom , peace and security which we all hold dear was not compromised “by a few unscrupulous elements in our midst”.

He added the media, as the fourth estate of the realm, was held in very high regards by the president.

This, he said, had been practically demonstrated in various ways by the Jonathan-led administration in the last three years.

He recalled that it was Jonathan who signed the “very contentious” Freedom of Information Bill into law on assumption of office.