Operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested journalist Edna Ulaeto from OrderPaper during a raid at her home on Friday.
This information was disclosed in a statement released by OrderPaper management, detailing the incident.
According to the statement, a group of armed individuals claiming to be DSS officers from the Office of the National Security Adviser forcibly entered Ms. Ulaeto’s residence early in the morning.
The statement reported that Ms. Ulaeto was mistreated while still in her nightwear and was taken to an undisclosed location. “The young lady, still dressed in her casual nightwear, was violently manhandled and forcibly taken away to an unknown destination, leaving her family and neighbors in shock and fear,” it said.
OrderPaper also alleged that Ms. Ulaeto’s phone number had been illegally tracked.
Her arrest is believed to be linked to a recent article by OrderPaper, which inaccurately reported a DSS operation at the National Assembly purportedly aimed at thwarting the removal of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Although the publication retracted the story and issued a public apology, masked officers reportedly broke into Ms. Ulaeto’s home, searched her personal belongings, and caused significant distress to her family.
The statement further mentioned that neighbors who attempted to intervene or document the raid were reportedly pushed aside, with some coerced into deleting their photos and videos under the threat of arrest.
Concerns about the legality of the operation were raised as neither Ms. Ulaeto nor OrderPaper received any formal notice or invitation prior to the raid. Efforts to contact Ms. Ulaeto following her arrest have been unsuccessful, heightening fears for her safety.
“This brazen and terrifying act has left the entire staff of OrderPaper living in fear, uncertain about what could happen next,” the statement continued.
The organization has called on civil society and the international community to demand Ms. Ulaeto’s immediate release and to condemn the incident as an assault on press freedom and human rights.