A former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has advised the Federal Government against doing anything that could curtail the freedom of ‘The Punch’ – and other media – following the newspaper’s recent critical editorial against what it sees as human rights abuse.
The paper reputed for a history of fighting oppressive governments had highlighted the Buhari government’s infractions, especially the forceful arrest of Omoyele Sowore in court, expressed the decision that, pending the time the government would restore the sanctity of the rule of law, it would be referring to the administration as a regime and Buhari as General.
While the action has generated a lot of debate, with another newspaper, ‘Daily Trust’, publishing an editorial to attack ‘The Punch’ over its (Punch’s) editorial, Campbell rejected a possible curtailing of the paper’s freedom, just as he slammed the government for the courtroom saga.
The reaction is contained in a statement released by Campbell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria from May 12, 2004, to July 19, 2007, as published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations:
“The state security service assault on a courtroom and the re-arrest of Sowore has already damaged the country’s international reputation.
“Buhari is not surprising, but it is worth noting that Zakzaky and Dasuki are both northern Muslims. What is different this time is the parallelism between military rule and Buhari’s civilian administration.
“Nigeria’s foreign friends will be hoping that the government takes no move to limit Punch’s freedom of expression. The SSS assault on a court room and the re-arrest of Sowore has already damaged the country’s international reputation.
“The Sowore re-arrest is consolidating opposition to the president by civil society, the press, international opinion and now religious leaders. It is to be hoped that the Buhari administration is looking actively for a way to defuse the Sowore issue, perhaps by allowing him to return to the United States.”
