Journalists protest detention of colleague in Anambra

Members of the Correspondents' Chapel of the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists have protested the arrest and continued detention of their colleague, Mr. Okechukwu Obeta of the Leadership newspapers by operatives of the Anambra State Waste Management Agency.

In a communique they issued at the end of an emergency meeting in Awka on Friday, the journalists called for the immediate freedom of Obeta, who is also the Vice-chairman of NUJ in Anambra State.

Obeta, according to the communique was arrested and detained on the orders of Mrs. Njideka Oraedum, the Managing Director , Anambra State Waste management Agency for taking photographs of her team that was enforcing a special sanitation exercise on Thursday 15th May.

Obeta's camera, iPad and telephones were confiscated by the ASWAMA operatives.

The communique said, 'The chapel condemns in strong terms the man-handling, illegal detention and seizures of working tools of Obeta by the Managing Diector of ASWAMA.

'The chapel protests the undue excesses of the enforcement officials of the state sanitation agency led by Oraedum.

'The boastful outburst of the managing director, that 'nothing will happen' and that the governor was aware of her actions smacks of arrogance and poverty of knowledge of the operations of journalists.'

The communique was issued by Ms Beatrice Onuchukwu, chairman, and Mr. Uzoma Nzeagwu, secretary.