Nigeria soldiers raid paper 'over Boko Haram article'

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Nigerian soldiers raided the offices of the country's private Daily Trust newspaper and arrested two of its journalists following an article about the military's fight against Islamist militants in the northeast, the newspaper reported on Sunday.

There were photographs showing armed soldiers raiding the headquarters of the Daily Trust in the capital city Abuja on the publisher's website. The paper also reported the military men had shut down its office in the northeastern city of Maiduguri after arresting a regional editor and a reporter.

The raids and arrests followed the publication of a lead story about the military's planned fight against Boko Haram, according to the paper.

An uptick in attacks in recent months has made security a key campaign issue in the run-up to the February 16 presidential election in which Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term.

Local volunteers carrying weapons stand in the Jiddari Polo area in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, after an attack by Boko Haram militants, April 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

The national security concern was reported to be the reason behind the military's raids.

"The Federal Government has directed the military to vacate the premises of @daily_trust and the order has been complied with," the president's spokesman, Garba Shehu, said on Twitter.

"Issues between the military and the newspaper as they affect the coverage of the war in the Northeast will be resolved through dialogue," he added.

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has killed around 30,000 people since 2009 in an insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.

The group attacked Baga – a town that borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon – in December, forcing hundreds to seek safety in Maiduguri, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the south.

Source(s): Reuters