By BONIFACE AKARAH

A former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and the African Union of Journalists, Lanre Ogundipe, has condemned the arrest and continued detention of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, warning that treating journalists like fugitives diminishes the dignity of the law and threatens Nigeria’s democracy.

Ogundipe, in a statement on Saturday, said the case transcends the liberty of one journalist and raises fundamental concerns about the attitude of some law enforcement agencies towards media professionals carrying out their constitutional duties.

“The arrest and continued detention of journalist Stanley Ugagbe raises issues far beyond the liberty of one individual. It calls into question the disturbing disposition of some law enforcement agencies towards journalists who, in the legitimate discharge of their constitutional responsibility, publish information that may be uncomfortable to those in authority,” he said.

The veteran journalist lamented what he described as a growing pattern in which journalists are increasingly subjected to intimidation instead of due legal process.

“It has become an unhealthy pattern in our democracy that journalists are increasingly treated as fugitives rather than professionals performing a public duty,” Ogundipe said.

“Where a journalist is alleged to have breached any law, the Constitution and our statutes provide clear procedures for investigation, invitation and prosecution. Resorting to intimidation, secretive arrests, prolonged detention, confiscation of work tools or other coercive tactics does not strengthen law enforcement. It weakens public confidence in the institutions charged with upholding the rule of law.”

He stressed that the media occupies a constitutionally recognised position in a democratic society and should not be criminalised for carrying out its watchdog role.

“The media is neither an appendage of government nor an enemy of the State. It exists as a constitutional institution in the service of the public interest; to inform citizens, interrogate power and promote accountability,” he said.

“Attempts to criminalise journalism through arbitrary law enforcement actions diminish the dignity of the law and erode the democratic values we have collectively struggled to build.”

Reflecting on his decades in journalism, Ogundipe said he found the development deeply troubling, recalling the sacrifices made by journalists during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy.

“Having devoted close to five decades to the journalism profession and having had the privilege of serving as President of both the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the African Union of Journalists (AUJ), I view this development with profound concern,” he stated.

“We did not endure years of repression in pursuit of democracy only to witness a gradual return to practices that create fear within the media and discourage legitimate public-interest journalism.”

Ogundipe called on the relevant authorities to either release Ugagbe immediately or arraign him before a court if there is a lawful basis for prosecution.

“I therefore call on the relevant authorities to immediately release Stanley Ugagbe, unless there exists a lawful basis to promptly arraign him before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

He also urged security agencies to rethink their engagement with journalists, arguing that democratic societies are judged by how they protect scrutiny of those in power.

“Democracy is not measured by how it treats those who praise authority, but by how it protects the rights of those whose professional duty is to scrutinise it,” Ogundipe said.

“A nation that treats its journalists as fugitives ultimately diminishes the dignity of its own laws and weakens the foundations of its democracy.”