There was a mild drama on Sunday after the Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, Mary Noel-Barje, ordered the arrest of The PUNCH correspondent in Niger State, Adebayo Ayinde.
Noel-Barge’s latest action comes after many attempts by the aide to coerce the Correspondent into writing stories from her point of view.
There has been no love lost between the PUNCHman and the CPS over the journalist’s independent attitude.
Ayinde said before the Sunday incident, he had been told that the said CPS sent his pictures to some security men in the state.
He said Noel-Barje once told him to leave Government House, but he ignored her.
“There was a time that the Chief Press Secretary was said to have instructed the security operatives at Government House to bar me from entering the Government House,” he said.
Ayinde said the Sunday drama started after one of the security operatives at the Government House wanted to take him out of the Government House.
The journalist said: “The man beckoned on me and when I approached him, he wanted to take me out of the Government House.
“He said I must follow him.
“When other colleague saw his move, they rallied round and insisted that I would not follow him.
“It was during the argument that followed that we got to know that the CPS told the security aides to arrest me.
“Many of the security officers confirmed it.
“It took the intervention of other journalists in the state to stop the unethical conduct of the said CPS.
“When they asked her what I did, she did not say anything and declined to comment on the arrest.
“But my colleagues did not allow the man to take me away.”
