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The brother of a Nigerian journalist who disappeared mysteriously five years ago has accused a former minister of involvement and offered a reward for information on his whereabouts, news organisations reported on Thursday.
Godson Offoaro, a US-based writer, told the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission that his investigation showed his brother had probably been in the hands of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, which must have collaborated with former information minister Walter Ofonagoro. Godson offered some 3 million naira (US $24,000) for information on his whereabouts, ‘The Guardian’ reported.
The panel, now sitting in the town of Enugu, some 516 km east of Lagos, was set up in 1999 to look into rights violations dating back to Nigeria’s first military coup in 1966 and began hearings across the country last year.
Chinedu Offaoaro, who was then a correspondent of ‘The Guardian’ daily newspaper, disappeared in May 1996.
Godson said Ofonagoro had invited his brother to his office and told him “to warn me (Godson) to stop further circulation of my book or he will run me out of the US”. The ex-minister also warned Chinedu against writing anything offensive about the then head of state, Sani Abacha.
Godson said it was possible that the minister had confused his brother with a freelance journalist who also worked at ‘The Guardian’ as well as Voice of America, and was openly critical of the government.
The chairman of the rights panel, Chukwudifu Oputa, summoned the former minister to appear before him at the commission’s sitting in Abuja next month to answer the allegation, AFP reported.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions