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Why Elendu Was Arrested
October 20, 2008 15:34, 3,470 views
By Jide Osokoya
Fresh reports reaching P.M.News from Abuja, this morning, have revealed that the publisher of an online news agency, Mr. Jonathan Elendu, was arrested for sponsoring a guerilla news agency.
It was gathered that the United States-based online publisher, who was arrested on Saturday, on arrival in Nigeria, was allegedly linked to Saharareporters, an online Nigerian news agency.
Our source revealed that Saharareporters, which is known for alleged subversive reports against the federal government and important personalities in the country, was allegedly the brain child of Elendu. It was further learnt that when Elendu was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as soon as he arrived via a KLM Airline around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, he was immediately whisked away to the SSS headquarters, Asokoro, Abuja.
Said our sources: “The hefty publisher was accosted on arrival by two SSS operatives who told him that he was being invited for a chat with their boss, he responded that since it was an invitation, they shoulg give him time to go home and freshen up.
“The security operatives turned down his request, seized his international passport and whisked him away, only for him to remain incommunicado since then.” Elendu’s family members expressed concern and worry over the state of his health, as nobody has been able to communicate with him since Saturday. As at the time of filing in this report, his lawyers were preparing papers to fight for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
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Don Joy
20 October 2008 16:51When a devil intends to destroy a man finally, his last target was to make him deaf and blind. This government is on the line now..
lester eghagha
20 October 2008 18:19Elendu should have expected this
KAKA
20 October 2008 18:22which line?
boda samu
20 October 2008 20:04You are right Don Joy, this government has not been following and abiding by the rule of law they preached.
Well, may God save us from bad government.
Otunba Aseesan
20 October 2008 21:11Why Elendu Was Arrested;
The SSS should please charge this man to Court or release him.Does it take eternity to chat with someone.If the man has written any defamatory report against anybody- individual or corporate, he should be sued.If not, please release him immediately.
Saharareporters is doing a very good investigative journalism which SSS,DMI +EFCC put together CAN NEVER achieve.Stop using state apparatus to cover fraud and perpetuate crime.
spora
21 October 2008 10:43It is better, as a journalist, to do your home work before you write your reports, knowing fully well that you are reporting for(to) an equally enlightened and informed readers
There is no doubt that many newspapers in Nigeria get their news from most of these online news agency. A little investigative journalism should have enlightened you that Elendu Reports is different from Sahara Reporters.
For the avoidance of doubts, Elendu Reports (www.elendureports.com) is an independent Online News Agency own by Jonathan Elendu, while Sahara Report (www.saharareporters.com) belongs to the same category as Elendu Reports but with different owner.
So there is no way Elendu would have been linked with Sahara Reporter for he has his own news agency.
For the sake of the general public, therefore, there is a need to do some research before you rush to the press, so that people are not misled.
Usman Santuraki
21 October 2008 11:00This has proved beyond any reasonable doubt, that we are back to the stone age. If not, why arrested someone because he is discharging his responsibility of keeping people informed by using the latest technology-internet.
Jonathan Elendu is a real professional in the art of dissemination of information. The government of Yar’adua should immediately release him.
Pastor O.J
21 October 2008 15:02Don’t worry the prsident will get to know of his arrest in another 3 or 4 weeks and order his immediate release
Pastor O.J
21 October 2008 15:02Don’t worry the president will get to know of his arrest in another 3 or 4 weeks and order his immediate release
Dr Pat Kolawole Boboye
21 October 2008 16:42Finally,Obasanjo imposed president Umaru Musa Yar’dua has gone wild and becoming worse than a millitary junta of the past.Last time president Umaru Musa Yar’dua sneaked out of nigeria to an hospital to care for his health without proper handiover to hias VP ans at the expense of Nigerians kept away unknown to Nigerians in Saudi arabia for seven-teen days before he came back secretly.Then,he fired his SGF-Kingibe,then with the leak of his impending resignation which was the proper thing to do in a normal civilized society,he closed down Channels-television and Daily-Independent newspapers abruptly.Now the Elendu’s-online reporters news proprietor was arrested on president Umaru Yar’dua instruction when he arrived MMIA,Ikeja,Lagos.This is clear cut case of dictatorship and dangerous abuse of power and authority.Well! under PDP since 1999 todate,there has never been any democracy ethos and manner as well as civility in the tracks of the running of the PDP regimes which can not in any way be termed governments or administration as they are all PDP decimation of democratic ethos and culture.Shame!!Turning Nigeria to a PDP- banana republic The whole world is watching! Dr Pat Kolawole Boboye,Canada.
DeleKehn
21 October 2008 17:06When IT students become Md/CEO, all they do with office matters is experiments,due to lack of understanding. With power they will also want to subvert opposing views to their blindness and delusions. A word they say is enough for the wise.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm Naija!
Dr Pat Kolawole Boboye
21 October 2008 21:43Elendu the publisher of on-line-elendu’s was arrested at the Abuja airport because,President Umaru Musa Yar’dua is the worst inept,unviable and incompetent as well as non-knowledgible leader that has ever occupied the seat of power in Nigeria.Almost all former millitary juntas heads were far much more productive and competent than Yar’dua.Yar’dua can not even structurally revamp his regime’s cabinet without much ado and noise.He is not just mr-go-slow but president “impoverish-comatose”.Ever since PDP-Obasanjo vengiantly imposed Yar’dua in may 2007,nothing tangible and benefitial to Nigerians he has put in place.Ordinary changing his cabinet members became headache for him.He is unproductive president.Geb I B Babangida said he was not slow but studying Nigerian problems before he could act,well!what solution has he came up with now.Anyway,Gen IBB has nothing possitive to contribute anymore to the development of the nation.President Umaru Musa Yar’dua arrested Mr Elendu because,he exposed President Umaru Musa Yar’dua’s secret arrangement with the suppreme court chief justice of Nigeria-justice Kutigi which whereby Kutigi arranged with Yar’dua in the presence of the EFCC-chairman-Farida Waziri that Kutigi-suppreme court would validate Yar’dua’s election under the secret corrupt-arrangement just like the secret bribery arrangement between Yar’dua and Justice Ogebe that validated Yar’dua election after Yar’dua had promoted Ogebe and his Federal court of appeal president to the suppreme court which ensured the corrupt-validation of Yar’dua’s most rigged and manipulated election in 2007 in Nigeria..This is the source of Mr Elendu’s problem with President Umaru Musa Yar’dua.Yar’dua is beginning to show Nigerians and the world that he would be worst than millitary juntas despite his incompetency,ineptitude and corrupt-stricken style of governance.Yar’dua must go! Dr Pat Kolawole boboye,Canada.
Efeturi Ojakaminor
21 October 2008 23:38You begin to wonder whether these people know that we are in the 21st century. If Elendu has committed any crime he should be charged to court. Otherwise release him. It is not a crime to own an online News Agency even if the website does not praise the powers-that-be. The times of these senseless arrests are now gone for good in the civilised world. Must we continue to live in the middle ages while the world has advanced to the 21st century? A few weeks ago it was Channels Television. Today it is Elendu. Who will be next. This action must be condemned by all lovers of freedom of expression and by implication also the freedom of the press. Our government (through the SSS) has only succeeded once again in looking ridiculous before the whole world.
Chima Njoku
22 October 2008 02:57The arrest of Mr.Elendu must be condemed by every Nigerian and Ndi-Igbo in particular. The harssement of Igbo’s in Nigeria has become a policy of every Nigerian govt. past and present. Ndi-Igbo we have bent our back too long for every Nigeria govt. to ride. Enough of this rubbish. Where are the so-called Igbo organizations in Diaspora and at home. After all the JAMBOREE what next?
Chima
T. Ogunbiyi
22 October 2008 09:08Elendu Reporte is owned by Jonathan Elendu and is even more “moderate in its reporting and exposee” than Sahara Reporters owned by Sowore Omoyele. Both are more investigative than SSS, DMI, NPF etc. all put together and we often get the truth from them, even on stories the local media has been compromised on or is afraid to publish.
Charge the man to court or release him NOW!
Tosyn Eweje
22 October 2008 11:27This goverment is like Abacha goverment they are only pretending they are democracy
Simon Ekwealor
22 October 2008 11:34Just to add to Spora’s comments -
Elendu Reports run by Jonathan Elendu was one of the first of the Nigerian oriented online news agencies. Sowore of Saharareporters worked with him on the project and was the driving force and backbone of the process that made Elendu Reports what it then was. Jonathan was more into the fame and glory aspect of things than the real work.
“Things” happened and Sowore left to start Sahara Reporters which anyone can testify quickly established itself with an even greater impact than Elendu Reports did. Meanwhile Elendu Reports went down quickly the scale because the driving force had left. It was at this point that Jonathan Elendu, demonstrating a typical characteristic of his, moved into praise singing and organising interviews for a fee. You will find that the establishment under Bafarawa ( Sokoto State) was one of his major clients.
Jonathan always sees himself as something of a superstar albeit a “wanna be” one. His hero is Dele Momodu and I can tell you he models himself after him. His arrest at the Abuja Airport illustrates his character - why would you claim to be involved in guerilla journalisn and then openly appear at an airport staffed by all sorts of personel from ALL the security establishments of the person you are waging war against!!! Sowore as he let slip during his interview with Gbenga Obasanjo slips in & out incognito.
There are details that I can give about Jonathan but would not want to cross the fine line into what might be seen as defamation or slander. Suffice it to say that I do know Jonathan Elendu an Ndoki man from the Ukwa East Local Government Area ( I’ll leave out his village name) of Abia state very well and have related with him at very close quarters. You will recall he once presented a programme on the Rivers State Television years ago. The man is an opportunist, very boastful and lazy. 12 or so years ago, he married a well to do Bayelsa State woman who was dying of cancer for money. The marriage was secretly done at a registry in London with nobody other than two witnesses in attendance. Not even members of his family resident in London were part of it. The poor woman swayed by his supoosed love took him all over the world and spent her money on him. He was unemployed then and his excuse was that his wife was sick and he was looking after her!!! A year later, after she died and was buried, he demanded for his “wife’s” property and very very very narrowly escaped a public lynching by the woman’s brothers. With no money coming in, Jonathan spent another year or so loafing about between Port Harcourt and his village before his siblings organised for him to travel to the States via the UK. This piece of information is relevant in it serves to educate you about the kind of person he really is.
If you are thinking of defending him or think I am being mischevious please take the time out to note that there has been no mention of his arrest on Sahara Reporters till now except this particular report by pm news. Now isn’t that surprising???
Ayo Ojebode
23 October 2008 19:27We are getting there. It is time for us to get back into our trenches. It doesn’t appear democracy or military, Nigerian rulers do not have particular respect for human rights—and the SSS has remained the same.