Comments on NIGERIAN CURIOSITY: NIGERIAN BLOGGER ARRESTED!!!!

This is a sad news. hope he goes through the righ...

2009-08-12T22:13:34.012-04:00

This is a sad news.

hope he goes through the right process of law.

@ NIMMO and Beauty: Guys, I respect both of...

2008-10-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

@ NIMMO and Beauty: Guys, I respect both of you incredibly. After taking a quick peek at some of the above comments, I just want to make sure that we do not get sidetracked. The goal is to focus as much attention on Elendu, so please I don't want any of us to offend each other in the process. We will always need each other to get things done and I cannot afford for either of you to be upset because I will need you guys to get things done on Friday.

Abeg make una no begin dey fight oh.

Let's focus our passion and maybe even impatience on those who truly deserve it.

@Beauty: I don't know how old you are but you come...

2008-10-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

@Beauty: I don't know how old you are but you come across as rather ignorant and naive ... or just plain conceited.

I will hold my peace till we know what he is be...

2008-10-27T05:56:00.000-04:00
I will hold my peace till we know what he is being charged for is a symptom of PPP that gladly does not affect every Nigerian. There are such things as duty and obligation but the doing is the only way forward.

Prisoners of Conscience, Prisoners of Justice, Pri...

2008-10-26T17:39:00.000-04:00
Prisoners of Conscience, Prisoners of Justice, Prisoner of Freedom et al are rightful (& now desirable) titles the Gani Fawehinmis, late Beko Ransome-Kutis, Joe Odumakin, Segun Mayegun, and many mmore activists have earned. These ‘prison’ experiences have stamped their footprints in the sands of time.

Reading the title, I was pretty worried but, decided to check on the ‘blogger’s’ blog before making my comments. The first striking thing about the blog is that it gives the view of a journalist’s page. Now, might have let it pass but, come with me, let us analyse:
1. A blogger write personal experiences, shares opinions and the likes but, I doubt a blogger is a ‘reported journalist’. What means thee, you might ask?
2. A journalist worth his (oops, his is plural oh) onions will never publish a reported events except he covers such events personally. What aims thee at?

Now, if he is a blogger who was just returning from America under what authority did he put up those articles on his page (which he signed by the way)? I daresay, it must be reported articles from online newspapers et al……. Do you get where I am going?

I will hold my peace till we know what he is being charged for. However, ‘twould be pretty sad if he is held longer than the maximum period before he is charged. That would be an outright disregard for the rule of law.

My thots, writing about Nigerian issues is done in one of two ways……………expressing your opinions which is personal (based on matters arising in the Country) and stating the facts which is truth (based on researches you carried out personally).

‘tis impossible to be arrested for expressing your opinions but, if arrested for stating the facts, then, you shall have your day in court and be vindicated.

Fact is anybody can be arrested (as long as one is charged within the purview of law). Moreover, arresting someone does not necessarily mean the person is guilty.

Jonathan Elendu should be released before he disap...

2008-10-26T12:24:00.000-04:00
Jonathan Elendu should be released before he disappears into thin air. They have changed the subject from National security to Money laundering,from SSS to EFCC.
I am glad the BBC has the news and will be updated. God help us and please keep JE safe.

Your NIGERIAN BLOGGERS ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS.....

2008-10-26T04:46:00.000-04:00
Your NIGERIAN BLOGGERS ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS.. #14 Chidi Opara's "Real Reason Why Nigerian Online News Publisher Was Arrested" seemed to be a government mis-information report. It is clearly modeled on JE version 1 and it seemed to have missed the point. The reasons for the arrest is not the issue, it is in the due process and rights of the individual. Chidi Opara Reports suggestion that JE is part of the smokes and mirrors of Abuja is acceptable but why does he remain incarcerated and uncharged?

History showed that the whole world did not do enough for Ken Saro-Wiwa, he is dead! It takes courage to leave your country and live somewhere else. That is another debate but demanding the the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Jonathan Elendu, or his arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction, if he is suspected to have contravened any laws of the land is the collective goal.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I forgot I had one...

2008-10-25T14:18:00.000-04:00
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I forgot I had one for a while. lol

This is so unbelievable. Just when I start to think of running back to Naija to escape the American economy, I read this! I think I'll just drink my garri here.

The SSS are back again?! Yardua is now in the busi...

2008-10-25T09:14:00.000-04:00
The SSS are back again?! Yardua is now in the business of suppressing freedom of speech and trampling on our fundamental human rights...Yardua's only solution to his failed govt. and our nation's political problems is to revert to the draconian rules (not rule of law) reminiscent of the dark days of IBB and Abacha.
We all should now be afraid of another failed Nigerian despot, huh?!...let it be known though that my voice can NEVER be silenced; not by YARDUA, and not even by his criminal thugfather who ruled before him, OBJ...because the pen is mightier than the sword.

FREE ELENDU NOW!

i see the headlines on sahara and i want to cry..

2008-10-25T06:40:00.000-04:00
i see the headlines on sahara and i want to cry..

this is mega -sad..a whole week going and he has n...

2008-10-25T06:25:00.000-04:00
this is mega -sad..a whole week going and he has not been allowed contact with family and not even charged to court..and now can you imagine that the likes of the channels and ait have failed to mention this (or have they ? )- so we can assume that they are now para-government news agencies..

The more things change, the more they remain the s...

2008-10-24T16:23:00.000-04:00
The more things change, the more they remain the same...

NC, we have had ‘discussions’ about Sahara in the ...

2008-10-24T06:14:00.000-04:00
NC, we have had ‘discussions’ about Sahara in the pat and I guess we will sort of disagree on this one. SR - there is a bit of ‘The Sun’ newspaper about them and I also don’t sit well with sources that remain unnamed i.e. A source who begged not to be named blab la bla – but that is how they all operate. Who knows they could be making up stories in their badrooms. But I am yet to read any articles on their site that has been 100% false - not on the likes of Ribadu, Yardy’s health or the Ibori/ Aondoakaa link. It’s hard to dispute photos. I must confess though that I am not a regular reader, so I could have missed some spicy lies.

But like you wrote “If Elendu or anyone at Sahara Reporters has defamed anyone, then they should be sued in a court of law, not detained in an SSS cell or the like”

So why cant Mr Rule of Law take the same approach?

This is a dangerous trend led by those who are holding Yardy hostage…Or by Yardy himself, he seems like a shifty character.....

God have mercy! This is another blow on our alread...

2008-10-24T04:20:00.000-04:00
God have mercy! This is another blow on our already battered image in the international community.

How can a blogger be deatained for days without a court trial? Sometimes, one is tempted to agree with those that insist that Nigeria's political case is a hopeless one.

Every where I go online, I am quick to say that I am proudly Nigerian. In this case, I cover my face 'cos I am really ashame :-(

How can the same government that is canvassing for Nigerians in diaspora to return home and build the economy condone such act by one of its agency?

If a blogger must hide his identity because of fear of being apprehended as a common criminal, then I wonder what kind of Human Right we are really practicing.

Thanks for shouting this out. I pray for Elendu and his family (the poor people, must be going true some psychological truma). "Na wa for naija! I bin no no say person fit enter trouble like dat"

wow, how do you collect your information...and he ...

2008-10-24T03:51:00.000-04:00
wow, how do you collect your information...and he is a blogger

I just finished reading Half of a Yellow sun, and ...

2008-10-23T22:48:00.000-04:00
I just finished reading Half of a Yellow sun, and I smell something very sinister going on with the Nigerian Government. I rest my case! *sigh*

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

All I can say is that I no...

2008-10-23T22:37:00.000-04:00
ARE YOU SERIOUS?

All I can say is that I now understand why you shy away from too much publicity. As it would seem, there is no real democracy in Nigeria. The Government is apparently militia!

I read NIMMO's comment and I have to say it sounds...

2008-10-23T18:56:00.000-04:00
I read NIMMO's comment and I have to say it sounds very plausible.
I read the report that NIMMO posted and I must also agree that it is very well researched with a little too much information.

however, it is still not right for the EFCC to arrest him. Its almost becoming a trend for people's freedom of speech to be stifled. If this trend continues, we would find ourselves back in the Abacha days.

though I must say that with the amount of work put into Elendu's reports, the EFCC will only end up making him more successful!

PS: so SSD, do you want to rethink your naija trip? lol!

Did a post on the issue. I am irritated and furiou...

2008-10-23T17:54:00.000-04:00
Did a post on the issue. I am irritated and furious.

I have had the privilege of working in a newspa...

2008-10-23T17:40:00.000-04:00
I have had the privilege of working in a newspaper and radio station, so I have an idea how things work there. On the other hand, I have also had the privilege of consulting for/providing services to some security agencies in this country before so I also have an idea how things work in there too. I cannot say more than that.??? Is this person serious? Who cares about the issues or the trash being blogged or blogged about? Is this a pattern of future things to come? To be invited/arrested by State Security Service on "acts of sedition" for writing trash is not progressive. Those people created an environment where access to information became quest for holy grail and there will be many more arrests before this dust settles.

As they say, when elephants fight, the best thing ...

2008-10-23T14:50:00.000-04:00
As they say, when elephants fight, the best thing is for the grasses to get as far away as possible from the scene of the action. If they can.

I do not think that Elendu was arrested for his blogging activities. I believe there is more to this than that.

I have read very many blogs and stories on this issue. From the intellectually sublime to some ridiculous ones like the 'notice me' (Me too!) by pointblanknews.com.

I cannot go into too much details but I believe it takes an understanding of the psyche of the security operatives to be able to put this into context.

Whatever happens though, Jon Elendu will most likely come out of this larger than life. They will have succeeded in making him more successful.

I had left a rather long message here about an hou...

2008-10-23T14:23:00.000-04:00
I had left a rather long message here about an hour ago but it seems to have just disappeared. I cannot retype the whole thing all over now but will try and recapture the gist - in fewer words.

While I do not subscribe to the idea of any Nigerian being deprived of his freedom for ANY reason, I will beg to disagree with most of the opinions expressed her and on other sites.

I had been out of town and thus just reading about Jon Elendu's 'arrest' ('invitation' according to the SSS). Naturally, I had gone to the website to read his latest reports if only to see the 'offending' report but there was nothing really.

I will however draw our attention to this report made on Rivers state's Governor Rotimi Amaechi who is at the moment involved in a battle with powerful people within their PDP.

The report is here: http://elendureports.com/index.php?option
=com_content&task=view&id=697&Itemid=1

While I am impressed with Elendu's investigative reporting style, I think that he gives too much information sometimes. Or rather too much details. And in our environment this may put his sources in trouble.

In this particular report, you will notice that he closes by saying they have not being paid by Amaechi's government yet thus there could be any number of meanings being read into this depending on the persons and purposes.

I have had the privilege of working in a newspaper and radio station, so I have an idea how things work there. On the other hand, I have also had the privilege of consulting for/providing services to some security agencies in this country before so I also have an idea how things work in there too. I cannot say more than that.

There is a rivalry between Nigerian journalists and security operatives with regards to access to information and its dissemination (or concealment). I believe its same almost all over the world.

Let me take this report as an example.

Two major national(?) newspapers had reported that the EFCC had frozen the accounts of Amachi's government and subsequently arrested his chief of staff and Secretary of state. (I can bet that the story was planted by the EFCC itself.)

I wonder how anybody would have believed that a person can convert a personal bank account to an institutional one in this country. Even a primary six pupil knows that!

Note the arrogance in the reply of the EFCC spokesman to Elendu's SMS enquiry. Babafemi was so sure of himself and his operatives who had provided him with the information and given him iron-clad proof of the guilt of Amaechi and his men.

The next step would be to get Farida to call a press conference and present the 'evidence'. Some people get promoted for a job well done. Right?

Wrong.

You see, there is this 'small boy' who calls himself Jonathan Elendu who goes out to actually talk to the bankers and investigates the whole story and comes up with a more believable version of the truth. Then he puts it on the internet. Of all places!

If you have been following my story you can imagine happens. Babafemi gets to the office to see the story on his desks. He looks stupid before his bosses and subordinates.

Heads must roll.

In case you didn't know, there is a network among the security agencies. So somebody told somebody who told somebody that the 'foolish boy' Elendu is coming to Abuja on so-so date with so-so flight. The SSS are usually the attack dogs in operations like this.

This is getting rather too long

I don't mean to sound heartless but seriously, why...

2008-10-23T11:11:00.000-04:00
I don't mean to sound heartless but seriously, why was anyone expecting any less from the SSS. When you set your expectations accordingly, nothing will suprise you or catch you off guard. Nigerian Democracy is a big joke. *Hiss*

SSD, I agree, only and only when you get that personal assurance from God almighty should you even think of stepping foot in our "motherland" sho gbo?

Hi Solomonsydelle,

I believe I mentioned th...

2008-10-23T08:53:00.000-04:00
Hi Solomonsydelle,

I believe I mentioned this in a previous comment: that what Nigeria has is a "Democratic Form" of government, but not Democratic in substance. The worst possible combination is a Dictatorship masquerading as a Democracy, because it can very easily justify its tyrannical behavior with such catch phrases as "National Security", "Rule of Law","Constitutional Imperative", among others, all of which can be interpreted according to the whim of the tyrant. And, having no transparency in the access to information, all other contrary reports can be dismissed as rumors or gossip.

If an independent body such as the UN or Amnesty International were to look at the country, they would not be able to accurately verify news of any abuse or power or unconstitutional action. The government has principles and freedoms lined up, it has a legislature, and people's assemblies (most probably headed by, and dotted with, personalities with canine loyalty to the powers that be) who would be singing hossanahs to the dictator at the drop of a hat.

Events can be contrived or staged, witnesses can be manufactured, the media can be bought or coerced, so what contrary view will prevail against the official version. I know this method well because I experienced 20 years of Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship which he called "Constitutional Authoritarianism" - meaning that his Authority is within the bounds of the Constitution (which he himself practically wrote by threatening those who were elected to the constitutional convention - aside from those he funded to make it to the convention as "independent delegates". He also had a legislative assembly full of his lackeys and which acted as a rubber stamp congress of the dictator. All oppositionists were incarcerated for such crimes as rebellion, sedition, murder, treason etc. The form was perceived by the outside world as Democratic, but it was far from being so. The only freedom that prevailed was the freedom for Marcos to do what he wanted.

Remember this Solomonsydelle, if an entire government, or its powerful arm overreacts to mere commentary and attempts to scare all others into silence or submission, that government is weak in substance because it cannot use reason and uses violence instead. Violence is the absence of reason, and such absence of so critical an element does not make it a democracy. If Yar'Adua tolerates this abuse, then chances are he condones it.

I know that you may have pinned your hopes on the vision as stated by Yar'Adua, and are perhaps enamored still by his promise and early actions. But if you remove those rose tinted glasses and open your eyes to the truth, you will not find Democracy in such a setting - I'm sorry to say. I hope I'm wrong, but from your own posts, this is what I can deduce, perhaps you only refuse to accept it as such. :-) --Durano, done!

Beauty @ I will come with you and stand with you b...

2008-10-23T06:54:00.000-04:00
Beauty @ I will come with you and stand with you but Nigerian prison? wooooooooooo! :)

Comments on NIGERIAN CURIOSITY: NIGERIAN BLOGGER ARRESTED!!!!

This is a sad news. hope he goes through the righ...

@ NIMMO and Beauty: Guys, I respect both of...

@Beauty: I don't know how old you are but you come...

I will hold my peace till we know what he is be...

Prisoners of Conscience, Prisoners of Justice, Pri...

Jonathan Elendu should be released before he disap...

Your NIGERIAN BLOGGERS ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS.....

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I forgot I had one...

The SSS are back again?! Yardua is now in the busi...

i see the headlines on sahara and i want to cry..

this is mega -sad..a whole week going and he has n...

The more things change, the more they remain the s...

NC, we have had ‘discussions’ about Sahara in the ...

God have mercy! This is another blow on our alread...

wow, how do you collect your information...and he ...

I just finished reading Half of a Yellow sun, and ...

ARE YOU SERIOUS?All I can say is that I no...

I read NIMMO's comment and I have to say it sounds...

Did a post on the issue. I am irritated and furiou...

I have had the privilege of working in a newspa...

As they say, when elephants fight, the best thing ...

I had left a rather long message here about an hou...

I don't mean to sound heartless but seriously, why...

Hi Solomonsydelle,I believe I mentioned th...

Beauty @ I will come with you and stand with you b...

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

All I can say is that I no...

Hi Solomonsydelle,

I believe I mentioned th...