Army Releases Wanted Journalist, Salkida
A
Nigerian journalist declared wanted by the authorities for alleged links to
Boko Haram has been released from custody, the BBC reported him as saying on
Wednesday.
The
military said last month it wanted to question Ahmad Salkida for allegedly
concealing information on the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the
Islamists more than two years ago.
Nigerian media reported that he was arrested when he
arrived in the capital Abuja on a flight from the United Arab Emirates on
Monday.
But the BBC said he had since sent a text message to the
broadcaster’s Hausa-language service saying he was “released in less than 24
hours without any conditions”.
He also denied being arrested at the airport, saying he had
been given a “pre-arranged lift” by the authorities, whom he said misunderstood
the role of journalists in reporting the conflict.
The army, which also denied the arrest, said on August 15
it wanted to speak to the journalist, after he tweeted about a new video of the
captured schoolgirls before it was published on YouTube.
Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said at the time there
was “no doubt” the reporter and two other individuals “have links with Boko
Haram terrorists and have contacts with them”.
Salkida has reported extensively on Boko Haram over the
last 10 years and is believed to have high-level contacts within the group and
previously been involved in talks to free the kidnapped girls.
He has maintained he has done nothing wrong and that he was
prepared to return to Nigeria to speak to the authorities.
A total of 218 schoolgirls from the Borno state town of
Chibok are still being held by Boko Haram.
The militants have said they will release them in exchange
for imprisoned rebel fighters held by the government.
No comments: