The Department of State Services has come under heavy criticism for invading the home of Edna Ulaeto, a journalist working with OrderPaper, an online publication focused on Nigeria’s National Assembly.
On October 18, 2024, armed men claiming to be DSS officers stormed Ulaeto’s residence and forcefully took her away without offering any explanation.
According to OrderPaper, Ulaeto was abducted while in her nightwear, leaving her family and neighbors in shock.
The media outlet expressed confusion over why Ulaeto was specifically targeted and believes the incident may be related to a recent story they published about an alleged invasion of the National Assembly.
In a statement, OrderPaper revealed that Ulaeto’s phone number was tracked illegally, a method usually used against serious criminals, not journalists.
They said, “OrderPaper suspects this abduction is related to a recent article that mistakenly reported on a DSS incursion aimed at thwarting an attempt to impeach the Senate President.”
The publication had previously issued a retraction and apology for the article, but despite this, masked men broke into Ulaeto’s home, ransacked her belongings, and caused significant distress to her family. Witnesses who tried to document the incident were reportedly threatened and forced to delete footage under the threat of arrest.
“This alarming situation has created an atmosphere of fear among the staff at OrderPaper, who now live in uncertainty about what might occur next,” the publication said.
OrderPaper also called on the public, civil society organizations, and the international community to demand Ulaeto’s immediate release and condemn the attack on press freedom and human rights.
However, Edna Ulaeto was released on Friday evening following the intervention of the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute according to a PREMIUM TIMES report.
This incident follows another controversial arrest of a presenter from Urban FM, Enugu, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which had also sparked public outrage.
