The Nigeria Police arrested the publisher of the Biafran Times Magazine.
Peter Eke, 30, was arrested at Somolu area of Lagos State alongside staff of his publishing firm, Azeez Ayoola, 30, Rafiu Qudus, 25, Adewunmi Tope, 22, Kunle Olushola, 22 and Akeem Adebakin, 49.
Others are Ayodeji Gbemi, 30, Akeem Bisiriyu, 34, and Shakiru Folohunsho, 25.
The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, paraded the publisher and staff of the printing company before newsmen at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja on Monday, January 30th.
He described the publication as “seditious” and could bring disharmony and chaos in the state.
Owoseni disclosed that the police would invoke the law on anyone who is playing an ethnic tune and working against unity.
Eke said that he was not aware that publishing the Biafran Times magazine in the state was an offence.
He said: “I have published some sporting papers before because of low patronage; I decided to publish the Biafran Times because I knew Igbo people who reside in Lagos would buy it. I am only doing it to put food on my table.
I love my country and I love my president. My intention is not to fight my country; I just want to pass out information to those who have no access to the Internet. I usually go on the Internet to source for information and publish.
“I decided to specialise on Biafra Times when I discovered it is always a sell-out. We usually sell between 6,000 and 7,000 copies weekly because of the name. Each copy, according to him, goes for N100 nationwide.”
Fatai Owoseni, police commissioner, disclosed that 515 copies of the “offending” newspaper were recovered during a raid on the printing press of the firm located in the Shomolu area of Lagos.
“This is an offence punishable under the Criminal Law of Lagos state," he said.
He said the suspects will be charged to court as soon as detectives finished interrogating them.
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