A journalist, Fejiro Oliver has been reported missing after travelling from Asaba in Delta State to Abuja for an meeting concerning an investigative report.
Oliver who is managing director of Daily Voice NG, is said to have gone to Abuja on an invited visit from the Secretary to the Niger State Government, SSG, Saidu Ndako, on Friday, September 19, 2014.
He was reportedly working on a story on the activities of the Niger State government.
According to a report by Premium Times, it was learnt that Fejiro called Israel Ebije, the spokesperson to Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger, to seek the governor’s version of events in the story. Mr. Ebije reportedly referred him to Mr. Ndako.
According to Mr. Ejiro’s wife, she last spoke with her husband on Friday while he was in Abuja to honour an appointment at the instance of Mr. Ndako.
His wife disclosed that she was with him on Sunday when Oliver got the call from the SSG of Niger state inviting him for a meeting with him in Minna.
According to her, her husband insisted that he would not go to Minna, for the sake of security but would meet with the SSG and Mr. Ebije in Abuja.
Father of the missing journalist, Godwin Oliver has also stated that all efforts to reach his son proved abortive as he wasn’t picking his calls. He promised to report the case to security agencies Monday, September 22, 2014.
Inibehe Effiong, a close friend of the journalist and human rights activists has spoken to the press on the matter. He said that Oliver was carrying out an investigation into the administration of the Niger State Government led by Governor Aliyu.
In his words, “After his investigation, he formally sought the response of the Niger State Government by contacting the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Saidu Idris Ndako Kpaki and the Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Governor, Mr Israel A. Ebije.
“Instead of responding to the issues pertaining to the alleged corrupt practices of governor Babangida Aliyu, the CPS, Mr. Ebije in an electronic mail he sent to Fejiro Oliver threatened and warned him to desist from going public with the report (the outcome of his investigations),” Effiong said.
He said the Daily Voice NG, had written an editorial some days earlier alerting security agencies and general public of a threat to his life by the Niger State Government through Mr. Ebije.
Mr. Effiong revealed that the last time he spoke with Oliver, he told him he was in Abuja for a meeting with the SSG.
“We are therefore assuming based on these facts that the SSG is in the know about Mr. Fejiro’s whereabouts,” he said.
Ndako has since refused to pick his calls or reply text messages sent to his mobile phones.
However, he denied the allegations on threatening Mr. Oliver, stating that he only advised him to come to Minna and make verifications on the allegations against the governor.
“In Niger State, everything is done transparently and we have nothing to hide. The documents he is claiming to have are executive council decisions which were obviously given to him by an aggrieved official who has been relieved of his appointment,” the spokesperson for the governor said.
