By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Oyo State Correspondent of the Nigeria Standard Newspapers, Mr. Musliudeen Adebayo was on Saturday molested and detained in Jobele, Afijio Local Government area of Oyo state by men of the Nigerian Peace Corps Cadets.
The journalist was in Jobele for the passing out parade of the Nigerian Peace Corps Cadets on the invitation of the State Commandant of the Corps, Mr. Oludare Adesina Adigun.
According to Musliudeen, it was one of the Peace Corp men identified as Alpha that ordered his being detained for several minutes by “his boys”.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the Peace Corps men, the Nigeria Standard reporter said trouble started at the entrance of the Merchant Navy Comprehensive High School, Jobele, venue of the programme, after being checked by men of the corps including one officer identified as Kehinde Taiwo and was asked to submit himself for fresh check.
“It is true that on Saturday, 3rd of December 2016 between 12. 09 pm and 12. 49 pm, I was harassed, embarrassed, arrested and detained by some illiterates parading themselves as members of yet to be assent paramilitary agents (Peace Corps) parading themselves as agents of peace,” he said.
Musliudeen stressed that after long interrogation during which he showed the paramilitary men his identity card and was asked to enter the venue, one of the peace corps men reportedly asked one of their superiors identified as Alpha to stop him from entering the camp and was ordered by the Peace Corps members to leave the scene immediately or have himself blame while trying to put several calls to another journalist Mr. Rotimi Agboluaje of the Union Newspapers, adding that despite explanations by Agboluaje that he was invited by the Oyo state Commandant of the Corps the said Alpha turned down their explanations threatening to deal with him should he continue to stay around the premises.
He maintained that it was at this juncture that the Alpha requested for the key to the guardroom and later ordered his boys to arrest and detained him for several minutes.
According to Musliudeen, it took the intervention of some guests, the Union correspondent and others before he could be released by the Alpha, saying,”It is not only unfortunate but ridiculous that in this computer age some people who are still acting illegally are using several dangerous weapons to harassed, arrest and detained journalist who was called by their boss to cover their event at their function”.
“There are many fractures on my head and back, it is true, I was invited but was detained for several hours by those boys even though I was identified as a journalist after several interrogations. It was unfortunate and barbaric for some elements who have no authority to operate as security agents to be operating in such manner”.
