Barely seven months after he was released from a two years detention, the publisher of Weekly Source Newspaper, Jones Abiri, was on Saturday “re-arrested” by gunmen suspected to be operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Abiri, based in Bayelsa, was detained by the DSS following alleged link with armed militancy in Niger Delta.
He was kept away for two years without trial.
He regained his freedom in August 2018.
However, on Saturday, four armed men believed to be from DSS arrested “re-arrested” him and took him away to an unknown destination at about 4.30 p.m.
Abiri was sad to be n the company of his colleagues at his office at Azikoro Junction of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State when the armed men arrived in two vehicles.
One was a white Hilux Van and the other, a black Prado Jeep.
He was forced into one of the vehicles and taken away.
Said Austin Bodo, a journalist who witnessed the incident and spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN: “We were sitting outside his office when a black Prado jeep and white Hilux drove into the premises in commando style.
“As they packed, two men carrying the type of guns used by DSS operatives, jumped out of one of the cars and said Abiri was under arrest and immediately started dragging him and forced him into one of the cars and drove off.”
Corroborating Bodo, another eyewitness, Mr. Bankole Abdulazeez, said: “We were discussing national issues when the cars drove in.
“Two armed men came out of the cars and without identifying themselves, they said you are under arrest and started dragging him.
“They threatened to shoot anybody that tried to stop them.
“I heard him shouting ‘what have I done again? what have I done again?’ Before they finally dragged him into one of the cars and drove off.”
When contacted, a DSS official, who preferred anonymity, said: “I only heard of it from a journalist friend; I don’t think it is our men from here.”
