The Department of State Service (DSS) detained a radio broadcaster in Imo State, southeast Nigeria, for playing a song that was deemed “offensive” to the state’s governor, Hope Uzodinma, on the station. He has been detained for the past two months.
The detained employee, Casmir Uzomah, is a staff member of the Orient Radio-Television Station, which is run by the Imo State Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), a media organization owned by the Imo State Government, according to a report published on Saturday by Premium Times.
He’s employed by the station’s technical division.
According to a report by the International Center for Investigative Reporting, he was detained on August 4. (ICIR).
Onyinyechi, the wife, has made a request for her husband’s release to the SSS and the state government.
“They should release my husband immediately. Since I am not employed, my kids must attend school.
They alleged that he played a song that denigrated the governor. According to the ICIR report, mother of five Mrs. Onyinyechi stated, “I haven’t seen him since then.
“On that day, my sister-in-law called to inform me that my husband had been arrested.
She advised me to look after the kids. Since then, calls to his phone have not been connected, she continued.
Mrs. Onyinyechi claimed that her husband’s older sister visited the DSS office but was denied access to speak with him.
They prevented anyone from seeing him, she claimed.
The detained radio worker’s older brother, Chidi Uzomah, stated that his brother was still being held by the DSS and that he was unsure of when he would be released.
“Casmir is still housed by the DSS. After receiving a query from Declan Emelumba, the Imo State Commissioner of Information, he was invited by DSS on August 4, 2022.
He told the ICIR that the DSS has been holding him since then and that all attempts to have him released had failed.
“We wrote to the information commissioner, copied HRH Eze Okeke Eze, copied (head of ministry of information), copied DG IBC, met Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, His Grace Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji to help talk with the governor, yet no way,” said Mr. Chidi.
The SSS allegedly turned down his brother’s release request after he hired a human rights attorney to write to the DSS on his behalf.
“On Monday, October 3, 2022, I penned a letter to the director of DSS, which was received. When he was arrested earlier in August, our attorney (equally) submitted a bail request. But there’s been none,” he said.
Jerry Osuji, the president of the Association of Imo State Radio and Television Presenters, stated that the association was putting forth a lot of effort to secure the journalist’s release.
“I’ve spoken with the DG of the IBC. He assured me that he is interested in learning how such a song ended up on the station.
Mr. Osuji, who works at the same station as Mr. Uzomah, claimed that he organized station employees to go to the SSS office to visit the detained radio worker but was unsuccessful in doing so.
The song played by Mr. Uzomah that resulted in his detention by the SSS, according to Imo’s information commissioner, Mr. Emelumba, was “very offensive and defamatory.”
“I was informed that he played a song on IBC that called the governor a murderer and was extremely offensive.
A song that claims the governor is a murderer and that blood is flowing from his hand was actually performed by this man. He asserted that even NBC criticized the IBC for playing such a song.
I’m not in any way to blame for his arrest; I heard he brought the song in from outside and played it on the radio. Why is he acting in that manner?
The commissioner insisted that his arrest had nothing to do with the state legislature.
Wilcox Idaminabo, the Imo DSS director, promised on Wednesday to respond to questions regarding the arrest.
But at the time of the report, he had not yet done so.
(Premium Times)
