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Epstein Used Africa as Playground for Abuse

by richard0157

Disgraced Pedophile Mixed Business With Pleasure
The Athletic Hires 6 From Washington Post
For State of the Union, Gains for Alternatives to TV
Consumer Reports Wants Action on Braiding Products

States, Cities Ordering Flags at Half-Staff for Jackson
Cherokee Chief Pledges to Tell ‘Full Story’ on Slavery
Marshall Project Reaffirms Commitment to Diversity
Amid Cuba’s Woes, Repression of Journos Continues

Short Takes: Roy S. Johnson; Rep. Jasmine Crockett; Don Lemon; freedom for student press; Moana Ramírez; Kai Wright; African journalists in Israel; Nigerian journalist arrested

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Disgraced Pedophile Mixed Business With Pleasure

While Jeffrey Epstein used race to filter out most Black women from his U.S. sexual abuse network, the late, convicted sex offender found in Africa a place to expand his business ventures and to be introduced to young women there, according to Justice Department files reported in the European and African press.

And the “no Black women” request had at least one prominent exception: podcast host and former model, Lisa Phillips, British-born daughter of a member of the U.S. Air Force and author of “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.”

Phillips was 21 years old when she was groomed and abused by Epstein while working as a fashion model in 2000, and attended Tuesday’s State of the Union address as the guest of Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon. Epstein might have Black American victims; not all of the women have come forward and wish to protect their privacy.

Many of the reports in the overseas press revolve around a former model, Nina Keita, a niece of the president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara.

 

One headline called Keita a “fixer.”

“She visited him in New York, flew on his private jet and organised a trip for Epstein to the Ivorian city of Abidjan, where the disgraced financier was scheduled to meet the president and several ministers to discuss investment projects,” Charlotte Alt and Emma Yeomans reported Feb. 16 for the Times of London.

In France, Wolf Office and Nadia Bouchenni reported Feb. 17 for TV5 LeMonde, “In the emails exchanged, Jeffrey Epstein also asked Nina Keita to introduce him to young women. She gave him the contact information for a 25-year-old woman named ‘Sadia,’ whom the billionaire met on August 31, 2011, according to Le Monde.

“Subsequently, Jeffrey Epstein sent an email to Nina Keita: ’Ask Sadia to send photos of her sister. I prefer them under 25.’  A week later, Nina Keita complied and sent him a photo of ‘Sadia’s’ younger sister. The published documents do not reveal whether the young woman was ultimately contacted by the sex offender.

“The Ivorian president’s niece also allegedly arranged meetings between Jeffrey Epstein and women in New York and Abidjan. During the businessman’s stay in the Ivorian city in January 2012, Nina Keita told him she had reserved the ‘ministerial suite’ at the Hôtel Ivoire for him. In their correspondence, cited by Le Monde, Jeffrey Epstein replied that he ‘hoped to see some very pretty girls there.’ Nina Keita responded: ‘That will be the case!’ “

Epstein’s AfrIcan connections also extended to Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Senegal and Kenya, according to the news reports.

“While Kenya seems to be a hotspot for the pedophile activities, Tanzania and Senegal remain mostly human trafficking routes for the Epstein specimen,” the Tanzania Times reported Feb 11.

“Kenya has been mentioned multiple times in the dossier, being described to be a notorious conduit for human trafficking.

“However, some of the private luxury properties along the coastline or islands, on the Tanzanian side of the Indian Ocean, are suspected to have been regularly visited by some of the people mentioned in the recent Epstein list. . . .

“On the other hand, the files reveal that children from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and other parts of the Eastern African region are reportedly trafficked through Mobassa to supply the pedophile island.

“Malindi, the town on the Kenyan Indian Ocean coastline, is figured to be a pedophile haven.”

The U.S. Virgin Islands also figure into Epstein’s activities off the U.S. mainland. “The 3.5 million documents include emails, appraisals, and property records that show Epstein’s efforts to expand his private compound beyond Little St. James island, which he purchased in 1998 and claimed as his primary residence until his death in 2019,” Suzanne Carlson reported Feb. 10 for the Virgin Islands Daily News.

“The island is also infamous for being the place where survivors say they were trafficked and raped by Epstein and others, including Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her crimes.”

In fact, the Justice Department files disclosed, Epstein considered buying the Daily News itself.

“There is currently a very rare and unique opportunity to develop a true media enterprise in the Virgin Islands at a very reasonable cost which would have the ability to become a very successful and profitable multimedia business operation in the Virgin Islands territory and eventually throughout the entire Caribbean region.” consultant James P. McGree told Epstein in a confidential memo.

Epstein ultimately rejected the idea.

The Athletic Hires 6 From Washington Post

Washington Post Sports Editor Jason Murray and two others of color from the Post’s gutted Sports Department are among six Post journalists hired by the Athletic, the New York Times, owner of the Athletic, announced Thursday.

The six are Barry Svrluga, Spencer Nusbaum, Candace Buckner, Ava Wallace, Adam Kilgore and Murray.

The Athletic plans to expand its coverage of the NFL’s Commanders, launch a new beat for Major League Baseball’s Nationals and add “to its growing roster of tennis, opinion and investigative reporters. With these moves, we intend to provide fans in Washington with unparalleled coverage of the teams and sports they love,” wrote Steve Ginsberg, The Athletic’s executive editor.

Of the three of color, the announcement said:

“Jason Murray, who served as Sports Editor for The Post, will join as a Deputy Editorial Director, helping to drive daily news coverage across all North American sports. Jason’s cool demeanor, sharp sense of the story and deep knowledge of sports will help propel our daily offering. Prior to leading The Post’s sports section, Jason oversaw coverage of the NBA, WNBA and college athletics.”

“Candace Buckner will join as a national columnist, building off the distinctive work she did at The Post, where she won first place in the 2024 APSE contest in the Division A Columns category, her third straight year finishing in the top 10. She was the first Black woman to receive the award. Her award-winning work included a range of stories, including ones on Brittney Griner, Tyreek Hill, Caitlin Clark and Ace Flagg, Cooper’s twin brother. Before starting her column in 2021, Candace covered the Wizards and the NBA.

“Ava Wallace will join our top-notch tennis team, while also contributing to our coverage of women’s sports. Her expertise will enhance our coverage in many different formats: Ava drew a strong following on audio and video, while also writing a weekly sports newsletter and more traditional stories for The Post. Before tennis, Ava covered college athletics, the WNBA and the Wizards. . . .”

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, spoke to reporters Tuesday after he was removed from President Trump’s State of the Union address. Green was holding up a sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes.” (Credit: “PBS News Hour”/YouTube)

For State of the Union, Gains for Alternatives to TV

Donald Trump boasted that he had “ended DEI in America,” expressed his pleasure that the name of Fort Bragg, originally named for a Confederate general, had been restored, demonized the entire community of Somali Americans as criminals, said Democratic politicians were “pro-crime,” and failed to mention the two U.S. citizens, both white, killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Perhaps this framing of America in the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday was to be expected, despite his sinking poll numbers, but what might also be surprising is how the event illustrated how much expectations of the news media have changed – particularly for news consumers of color.

Gone was the coverage from the Black-oriented television networks Black Entertainment Television and TV One, who had been headed in that direction for some time, and in were substitutes on YouTube, Instagram and other social media.

The address drew a smaller audience than last year’s presidential address to Congress, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings, Rick Porter told the Hollywood Reporter readers Wednesday.

Instead of joining the State of the Union crowd, “Roughly 30 lawmakers went to the ‘People’s State of the Union’ rally hosted by MeidasTouch and MoveOn, where protesters condemned fatalities tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and stressed the need to vote this fall,” HuffPost reported.

Other Democratic leaders and celebrities attended a “State of the Swamp” event organized by DEFIANCE.org, the Portland Frog Brigade and COURIER.

Still others, such as party activists Jaime Harrison and Karen Finney, were part of a streaming of ”the Black People’s Alternative to the State of the Union.”

Also on Substack: “Alternative State of the Union: Live w/ April Ryan,” the longtime Washington correspondent for Black media, who hosted Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

Digital journalist Roland S. Martin told his social media followers, “The State of Our Union is BACK! Last year, we were #5 on all of Youtube with 250,000 live viewers. On Feb. 24 at 7 pm EST, Let’s break the record this year. Don’t waste your time watching cable and broadcast news and give them any ratings. Move your eyeballs to #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the @blackstarnetwork. We will NOT show Trump’s speech.

“Black Voters Matter co-founders Cliff Albright and Latosha Brown will give the State of Our Union address. We have nearly 60 guests booked talking about the state of Black health, economics, education, civil rights and voting rights. We have Black attorneys generals, mayors, and activists.”

On MS NOW, Joy Reid was gone, having been let go a year ago and moved to social media, but Michael Steele, an MS NOW host and former GOP chair, told viewers that Trump indulged in “violence porn” – showing white people as victims of immigrants — to distract from the killings in Minneapolis, and in an attempt to ingratiate himself with his base as Trump did during the 2024 presidential campaign.

The biggest hit of the night was the celebration of the U.S. men’s hockey team, victorious at the Winter Olympics, and which presented no Black players. (Team captain Auston Matthews, who is Mexican American, was at the White House during the day but did not stay for the speech.)

“This Is What Ilhan Omar Screamed At Trump During State Of The Union. President Donald Trump engaged in a heated back-and-forth with Democrats as he spoke in harsh terms about immigration during the State of the Union on Tuesday, marking one of the most contentious moments of his speech,” Forbes reported. (Credit: Forbes/YouTube)

MS NOW interviewed Minneapolis residents, who said before Trump’s speech, record-setting for its length, that they hoped Trump would show them some support. He did not.

On CNN, Van Jones was part of a team similarly interviewing everyday citizens in Saginaw, Mich.

At Telemundo, Arantxa Loizaga anchored for the evening, which promised “in-depth reporting and analysis from Senior Washington correspondent Cristina Londoño. . . . . They will be joined by a panel of experts to examine the president’s speech plus key issues, including the economy, foreign policy and immigration. The comprehensive coverage will include reaction from Latino voters and fact checks by T Verifica, Noticias Telemundo’s fact-checking platform, the network promised. Julio Vaqueiro, who was to anchor, traveled to Mexico to cover the fallout from the killing of a top cartel leader, spokeperson Kevin Gray said.

In the print and online media, The Root, Capital B and the Grio covered the event, but Word In Black, the consortium of Black newspapers, and BlackPressUSA, from the financially troubled National Newspaper Publishers Association, did not.

Online, the New York Times asked its opinion columnists to weigh in on best and worst moments of the speech.

Asked to name the worst moment, Jamelle Bouie, a Black columnist, wrote, “There are just too many bad moments to choose from. Was the worst one of the many instances where he gave lurid descriptions of pain and suffering? Was it when he began to hand out awards like reality television prizes? Or was it when he tried to write Democrats out of the political community? If I have to choose, I’d say the braying racism against Somali Americans — it would not have been out of place in a D.W. Griffith film.”

 

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Consumer Reports Wants Action on Braiding Products

“Consumer Reports (CR) has again detected heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in popular braiding hair products in a follow-up investigation,” the publication announced Tuesday.

“This investigation builds upon CR’s initial 2025 reporting on synthetic braiding hair safety.

“Braiding hair is widely used by Black women and girls for styles that may be worn for months at a time. Because braids are worn continuously and sometimes styled with heat, potential exposure can be cumulative.

” ‘Consumers should be able to trust that the personal care products they use are safe, and the burden of safety should never fall on the people who use them,’ said Alexandra Grose, senior counsel for sustainability policy at Consumer Reports. ‘We are continuing to advocate for immediate corporate accountability, transparent ingredient disclosure, and strong laws to improve the safety of braiding hair and other personal care products in an under-regulated industry.’

“Key Findings from the Investigation

“CR recently tested three samples each of 30 braiding hair products from 29 brands (90 samples total). The products included synthetic, plant-based, and human hair. The results highlighted safety gaps in the braiding hair industry:

  • “Lead was detected in 29 out of the 30 products tested. The nine human hair products contained significantly higher lead levels than the other categories.
  • “All of the products contained VOCs, including acetone, a respiratory irritant, and low levels of carcinogens (toxins that may be linked to cancer).
  • “Brands that make claims about safety or quality of ingredients contained contaminants, too, although at sometimes lower levels than many other products tested.
  • “Cleaner options are possible: No heavy metals were detected in Dosso Beauty Hypoallergenic Kanekalon Fiber Braiding Hair.

“CR’s findings align with a recent Silent Spring Institute study of 43 hair extension products, which uncovered 48 toxic chemicals — such as phthalates and flame retardants—in all but two samples. . . .”

“In New York, CR is championing the Beauty Justice Act (S.2057A / A.2054A), which would ban some of the most toxic chemicals from personal care and beauty products sold in the state. Federally, CR supports the Safer Beauty Bill Package, a suite of four bills aimed at removing the most toxic chemicals from personal care products, increasing ingredient transparency, and funding research to protect women of color and salon workers who face disproportionate exposure risks. . . .”

However, at a virtual forum Tuesday attended by about 100 interested parties, “Safety of Braiding Hair: What CR Tests Found,” magazine representatives said federal action was unlikely under the Trump administration.

Edmond W. Davis is a history professor at Arkansas Baptist College, a social historian, founder of the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career and an authority on the Tuskegee Airmen and Airwomen. He has written 62 articles for the publication Modern Ghana.

States, Cities Ordering Flags at Half-Staff for Jackson

Despite the refusal of the House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow the Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol, at least 20 states and localities, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, have ordered their flags flown at half-staff at some point before services conclude next week.

“Five American presidents, including President Donald Trump, have been invited to services next week commemorating civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson in Washington, D.C., South Carolina and Chicago, Tina Sfondeles reported Tuesday for the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The U.S. Secret Service has already conducted a security sweep in anticipation of presidents in attendance at the House of Hope on the South Side, where a ‘People’s Celebration’ will be held March 6. The event is likely to be the largest and most star-studded among a week’s worth of events. The Secret Service will also secure locations in Washington, D.C., where the family is planning to hold services next week, in anticipation of potential presidential and foreign leader arrivals.

“The Jackson family has invited Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and George W. Bush to events commemorating him. It’s unclear which events the presidents will attend.

“The family on Tuesday said they had not received any confirmations of presidential arrivals, but anticipated them after a full schedule is released about services in both South Carolina and Washington.”

The states that have had or will have flags at half-staff include: Arizona,  Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, in addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands and  these localities: Carson, Calif., Chicago; Denver; New York; Newark, N.J., Newport News, Va;. and San Diego County, Calif.

Meanwhile, in ICT News, formerly Indian Country Today, Nick Tilsen, founder and CEO of NDN Collective, called Jackson “a strong and powerful ally between the Black community and the Indigenous people on this land.”

Kalle Benallie wrote Monday for ICT News, “Jackson, who was also a reverend, said he had Cherokee ancestry.

“He aligned himself with several Indigenous groups and causes like the Colorado River Native Nations Alliance to protect a sacred site from nuclear waste dumping. He supported the Cherokee Nation to have a non-voting delegate in Congress, advocated for the release of Leonard Peltier and was at the frontlines of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016.

“Jackson, 75 years old at the time, said when he visited North Dakota, he was willing to go to jail.  . . .”

Johnson denied a request for Jackson to lie in honor at the Capitol, “citing past precedent over how the deaths of other high-profile figures were handled, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Abby Phillip and Manu Raju reported Friday for CNN.

“One of the sources told CNN that the decision to reject the request to lie in honor – which had been made on behalf of Jackson’s family – was in keeping with precedent and was not political. The source said that requests for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney were also denied, and that the general practice is for select military officials and select government officials to lie in honor. But civilians or non-government officials have lain in honor in the US Capitol in the past, including civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005 and evangelical pastor Rev. Billy Graham in 2018, among others.”

The history and legacy of Cherokee Freedmen were highlighted at the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural & Welcome Center in Vinita, Okla.

Cherokee Chief Pledges to Tell ‘Full Story’ on Slavery

“Each February, we pause to honor the achievements and on during contributions of Black Americans,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. (pictured, below) of the Cherokee Nation wrote Monday for indianz.com.

“At the Cherokee Nation, Black History Month also calls to examine our own history honestly and to commit ourselves to telling the full truth about who we are. We have a responsibility of telling the full story of our past, including our Nation’s participation in the enslavement of Black people and the enduring experience of Cherokee Freedmen.

“This week, we published the findings of the Task Force to Examine the Impact of Enslavement on Cherokee Nation’s 19th Century Economy and Infrastructure. The report presents clear and sobering historical facts. It is not simply an academic exercise, but rather an act of moral responsibility.

“Prior to removal, about 6.74% of Cherokee households — largely mixed-blood families with ties to white ancestors — comprised an enslaver class. Prominent Cherokees were among them, including 11 of the 12 signers of the 1827 Cherokee Constitution. By 1835, Cherokees owned nearly 1,600 enslaved people. Enslaved people operated plantations, built roads and public buildings, and were pivotal to rebuilding the Cherokee Nation following the 1838–1839 forced removal.

“These are difficult truths. But they are truths, nonetheless.

“The Treaty of 1866 guaranteed citizenship rights to formerly enslaved people, or Freedmen, and their descendants in perpetuity. These rights were not conditional. Freedmen should not have needed to struggle for more than 150 years for their rights or be told to go beg for their rights at the ballot box. We must recognize that the long struggle to honor that promise is also part of our history and our responsibility.

“The report will guide future dialogue. Additionally, a new executive order will ensure that Cherokee Nation museums, historic sites and related materials comprehensively reflect the history of Cherokee Freedmen. We cannot celebrate Cherokee self-determination while ignoring its complexity. We cannot champion justice today, without acknowledging where we fell short in the past. Our sovereignty is not diminished by the truth. It is strengthened by it.  . . .

“Black History Month events across the Cherokee Nation Reservation, which includes the historic Greenwood District in Tulsa, remind us that our history is deeply intertwined with many communities. . . .”

Boston journalist Kenneth Cooper and reporter Sam Ford, retired from WJLA-TV in Washington, have been active in fighting for the rights of Cherokee Freedmen descendants like themselves.

Ford (pictured) was born in Southeastern Kansas and put together a documentary, “Black Slaves, Red Masters,” that aired on WJLA in 1991. In 2007, Ford showed excerpts at a convention panel of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Cooper (pictured) is working on a book for Amistad Press, “On Lightning: A Rainbow Family in the Cherokee Nation,” described as “a tri-racial story that explores the history of the Cherokee Freedmen (freed slaves and free blacks who lived in the tribe) inspired by the author’s own ancestors and based on deep historical and geneologial research.”

 

Katrice Hardy told readers, “At a time when diversity and efforts to emphasize it face significant resistance, we’re holding fast to our core belief that strong journalism begins with who is in the room.” (Credit: Marshalll Project)

Marshall Project Reaffirms Commitment to Diversity

“For the past nine years, The Marshall Project has published a Diversity Report showcasing the makeup of the dedicated staff who support our mission, the decisions we make around culture and hiring, and how these choices inform our journalism,” Katrice Hardy (pictured), CEO of the criminal-justice focused nonprofit and former editor of the Dallas Morning News, wrote in an email to readers Wednesday.

“We will continue publishing this report, even though nationally there has been pushback against efforts to highlight and celebrate diversity. You can read the full report here. Why, you might ask? Because we believe deeply that lived experience, cultural context and community trust shape both the stories we tell and how we tell them. “

Hardy also wrote, “More than half of our 75 employees across the country identify as people of color,” and that 5% of our staff are formerly incarcerated, helping shape our coverage and our news products specifically designed for incarcerated readers, News Inside and Inside Story.”

Hardy was diversity chair of the now-defunct News Leaders Association, the leading organization of news editors.

At last month’s meeting of the “Demand Diversity Roundtable,” National Urban League CEO Marc Morial urged the news media to report more on organizations who continue to support diversity, which polling shows has the continued support of Americans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Caribbean leaders in St Kitts and Nevis as part of the CARICOM Heads of Government summit, with discussions focusing on Cuba’s worsening crisis and a range of geopolitical and regional issues affecting U.S.-Caribbean relations. (Credit: St. Kitts and Nevis Observer)

Amid Cuba’s Woes, Repression of Journos Continues

The big news out of Cuba is that its government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.

Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others.

But there have been other developments, particularly regarding press freedom.

In its annual report, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday, “Throughout 2025, there were arbitrary arrests, acts of police violence, deaths in state custody, politically motivated imprisonment, harassment of religious leaders, severe restrictions on press freedom [PDF], and ongoing attacks against activists, independent journalists, political prisoners, family members, and citizens exercising fundamental rights such as peaceful protest, freedom of expression, or freedom of conscience.”

In addition, “In several parts of Havana, journalists and activists reported that State Security agents prevented them from leaving their homes on Tuesday, the 30th anniversary of the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, Ciber Cuba reported Tuesday. The downing occurred on Feb. 24, 1996, when Cuban military fighter jets shot down two civilian aircraft in an incident that resulted in the death of four pilots and sparked strong international condemnation.”

Short Takes

 

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  • “Don Lemon was sued this week with a group of protestors for ‘severe emotional distress’ following the January ‘ICE Out’ protest inside a Minneapolis church,” Tess Patton reported Tuesday for The Wrap. “Churchgoer Ann Doucette claimed in a lawsuit filed Monday that the protest unlawfully interfered with her ability to freely exercise her religion and resulted in ‘severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety and trauma.’ . . . ”
  • “For years, student press advocates have been frantically pointing toward the gathering clouds that gravely threaten college news organizations: money problems, censorship and disengaged campus audiences,” Barbara Allen wrote for collegejournalism.org. “With a federal government that’s rewriting the rules on press freedoms and higher education, those clouds have become a perfect storm that’s rocking independent student media. The Student Press Law Center, a 51-year-old nonprofit that defends and advances student journalists’ free press rights, said it’s seen an alarming uptick in calls over the past few years. . . .”

“Moana Ramírez (pictured) has been tapped for a top editorial management position at TelevisaUnivision network as vice president of newsgathering,” Veronica  reported Sunday for her Media Moves column. “In her new role, she will oversee national news programming from the company’s headquarters in Miami. That includes Noticiero Univision’s weeknight 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. and weekend edition newscasts, as well as ViX’s 24/7 streaming news channel.” Ramírez was most recently VP of News and regional news director of the company’s San Antonio and Austin stations.

Betsy Reed, editor of the Guardian US, has announced Carter Sherman and Kai Wright (pictured) as the co-hosts of the flagship U.S. video news podcast launching this spring, the Guardian announced. It is the first such program made by the Guardian in the U.S. Kai Wright (pictured), journalist, activist, author and podcast host, has been copy editor at the Daily News in New York, senior writer at The Root, senior editor at City Limits, editorial director at ColorLines and features editor at The Nation.

 

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  • Ahmed Isah Sakpe, a journalist at the Prestige FM radio station in Minna, Nigeria, also known as Ahmed Lee, was arrested by the police on 16 February,” the International Federation of Journalists reported Wednesday. ‘”He was detained for more than a week at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on charges of alleged ‘falsehood, defamation and cyberbullying’ relating to a social  regarmedia post. . .  . IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: ‘The recent wave of arrests of journalists by the Nigerian police signals a desperate attempt to suppress freedom of speech and silence journalists. Publishing a press statement about people’s right to know cannot justify the arrest and detention of a journalist whose work is in the public interest.’ ”

 

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