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General News of Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Nigerian Army denies arresting BusinessDay cartoonist, Mike Asukwo

Soldiers of the Nigerian Army Soldiers of the Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army has reacted to reports that it arrested the Chief Editorial Artist at BusinessDay, Mike Asukwo.

Asukwo whose works are critical of the government was reportedly picked up at Abia Express Towers, Umuahia, by troops of the 145 Batallion on his way from Lagos.

He was also said to have been detained in the military barracks in Ohafia on grounds that he defied the lockdown order.

However, Army Director of Public Relations, Sagir Musa, stated that Asukwo was not arrested in connection to the defiance of a lockdown order.

Musa said, “Nigerian Army is not involved in the enforcement of lockdown and so, he was not invited or ‘arrested’ in connection with restriction of movement order as mischievously claimed or reported”.

Asukwo himself also denied the report of his arrest by taking to Twitter with a post which revealed that he's "well and free".

“I want to assure all that I am well and free. I was not arrested by the army over the lockdown. I was invited by the Army to assist in a very crucial investigation involving one of their personnel known to me”, he wrote.