Jones Abiri Returns To Bayelsa Amidst Celebration.

From Amos Okioma
Jones Abiri the Bayelsa publisher of weekly source who wasincarcerated by the department of State Security services   for more than two years yesterday touched Bayelsa state amidst a rousing welcome by his colleagues.

Jones Abiri  who was a law student of National Open University before his arrest it would be recalled was whisked away in  a commando style by the officials of DSS on the 21st day of July 2016 from his office at Ekeki Yenagoa.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the DSS, Jones Abiri who thanked the Almighty God for giving him the grace to overcome all challenges said   he was arrested on the 21at of July 2016 in his office by 15.23pm.

He said “Almost about twelve plain armed men breezed into my office with a search warrant that my office is under investigation.

Continuing he said “When I perused through the search warrant, I saw magistrate Lucky was the one that appendage his signatory on it.

Abiri said he allowed them but he told them that he was a journalist.

Hera him” I’m a journalist and a newspaper publisher. I don’t know why you are here in my office. They started  searching my office at the end of the day, they didn’t see anything and that was how they
handcuffed me.

“They took my phones, my laptops and other things that are not connected to my arrest were taken even bank information.

 “They took me to the state command and I gave my statement and after spending seven days in Yenagoa, they flew me to Abuja. I didn’t know where I was going my eyes were blindfolded and that was the
situation”. He narrated.

He said since then he was   not given the grace and opportunity to see his wife and children, his friends even his lawyers he said were denied asses to him.

On his experience at the DSS cell, he said he was in underground cell where when the light went off you don’t see the next person adding that he was also denied medical facilities.

He said if not because of the voice of the media and civil society organizations, he said  they wouldn’t have taken me to court”.

Abiri said “I was given one count charge at magistrate court Wuse zone 2 that I sent threatening text message to AGIP and SHELL petroleum development  company of Nigeria demanding for money and I
said I don’t know”.

Also speaking, John Angese the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalist  in his remarks  asked why  It took DSS too long to produce Jones Abiri in court  adding that it was not acceptable.

He argued “By the time somebody spends much time in detention sometimes you would have spent the time you would have used to serve the sentence, who will pay the compensation?. He asked