Meanwhile, the presidency yesterday walked out a journalist representing a foreign media from the presidential villa, Abuja.
Mallam Ubale Musa, the State House correspondent of German Radio, Deutsche Welle, was expelled from Aso Rock for asking visiting Chadian President Idriss Deby a question the president’s men considered embarrassing.
Musa had asked Deby to explain the relationship between the multinational task force fighting in Lake Chad and the South African mercenaries fighting along with them, a question which the Chadian leader responded to by saying he had no information concerning mercenaries from South Africa.
Musa’s accreditation tag was immediately withdrawn by security operatives attached to the presidential villa.
As soon as Deby and his entourage left the villa, Musa was picked up by security operatives who immediately drove him in a vehicle out of the forecourt of the president’s office through the service chiefs’ gate.
After pleading with the security operatives that his backpack containing his work tools was still inside the press briefing room often occupied by journalists, the security men drove him back and escorted him to retrieve his bag before finally taking him out of the villa again.
It was gathered that when State House reporters approached the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, on the development, he simply assured them that the issue would be taken care of accordingly.
At the time of writing this report, however, nothing had been done to resolve the matter. Musa told our correspondent that his accreditation had not been returned.