Abia Online Media Publishers chairman condemns attempt by FCID operatives to abduct him from Umuahia

By Ogbonnaya Ikokwu On Dec 13, 2024

Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia

The chairman of Abia Online Media Publishers Organization (OMPAN) Chief Promise Uzoma Okoro, has condemned an attempt by some
police officers from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja, led by one Francis Atama, to abduct him without any a prior invitation.

Okoro in a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday stated that Atama, had traced him to his office in Umuahia the Abia State capital on December 6, to arrest and possibly whisky him away to Abuja, to be arraigned before an ‘already-awaiting Magistrate Court over an alleged case of defamation.

He expressed worry over the manner in which Atama, who claimed to be a news source attempted to use subtle means to allegedly abduct him and keep him away from his family over a petition written by a yet to identify individual.

The statement read, “Maybe, that Friday December 6, news would have gone that Chairman of Online Media Publishers in Abia was abducted by unknown gunmen’ from his office in Umuahia and maybe when my family and friends would be in the know that it was police officers, I would have been remanded in an Abuja prison, and the matter possibly adjourned to any day and month of their choice in 2025.

“Mr Francis Atama, the officer who led the team from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja trailed me to our Online Media State Secretariat located on No 54 Eket Street by Enugu Road, Umuahia, and deceitfully claimed that he had a media publication he wanted me Online Media People to do for him and was sent by a former Director of FMC in Enugu.

“According to him, the media publication he wanted to pay me to publish involved the kidnapping of a Prince , in an Ezeship tussle by two brothers in Enugu and a property disagreement. He claimed that he wanted the story to be published that Friday so he could return to Enugu.

“The secretary of our Union, Dr Steve Unegbu, who was called, rushed down to the office, and met him inside our office. When he (Unegbu) asked him to brief him about the matter so he can write it, dangerously enough, Mr Atama refused and insisted that ‘his Oga’ told him that the Chairman is the only person he should open up to about the details of the story. All these were lies and childish deceit employed by Mr Atama to ensure that I hurriedly come to the office and meet him.

“Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me, I wasn’t in town that day, but when our Secretary called me and briefed me about the insistence of Mr Atama, I demanded the phone number of the man who desperately wanted to pay me for a publication. It was then that I discovered that the name of the man is Mr Francis Atama, and that his real intentions were to kidnap, assassinate, or arrest me, as all his claims of coming from Enugu were proved to be false. These were unravelled as a result of my preliminary investigation of all his claims.

“I quickly told our Secretary to inform him that I won’t see him because his intentions and claims were all false. Our Secretary informed him, and he said he will lodge at Eastern Comfort Hotel in Umuahia.

“In a bid to verify the identity of Mr Atama, I called the Police Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Police Command, ASP MAUREEN CHINAKA, to ask her if there was a matter against me due to my suspicion that the man might be a kidnapper or a security officer, she told me in clear terms that there was no such matter before her table and asked me to come and see the Commissioner of Police, CP Danladi Isa on Monday December 9, by 12noon.

“The following day, being December 7, I called his phone number, and Mr Francis Atama still maintained his false and deceitful claims of wanting me to publish a story for him. I told him in clear terms that his story was not connecting and he should come out clean to tell me if he is a police officer or from the DSS, but instead Mr Atama asked me: ‘Did I tell you I am a policeman?’ He tried all his best to convince me to wait for him at any police station, but unfortunately, a trained journalist of my nature cannot be set up with such a childish story.

“I immediately complained to a sister in Abuja over the fact that an unknown man had been insisting and mounting pressure to see me, claiming that he wanted to do a publication, whereas I din’t know him and who he claimed that sent him.

“It was after the call from my sister, that Atama now sent me an invitation by 9:16 am on Monday December 9.(I printed a copy of his WhatsApp message)The letter he sent to me was dated December 4, whereas they came to Umuahia to arrest me on the December 6 without any prior official invitation”.

Okoro insisted that Atama’s was show unprofessional and showed a high disregard to the relationship between Online Media Practitioners in Abia State and the Nigeria Police Force, especially Abia State Police Command.

According to him, “It is important to state clearly, that there was no official Police Invitation sent to me by Atama and his team before they travelled from far away from Abuja to Umuahia that is over 7000 times to arrest me like a common criminal.

“I have never jumped bail since my life and I have never been detained at any police station for an alleged offence, This is a calculated attempt to embarrass my office as Chairman of Online Media Practitioners Association in Abia State, disgrace my personality, remand me in Prison for Christmas and New Year Season to satisfy the petitioner.

“If this was not the plan, the police would have done the right thing by sending me an official invitation or better still, Mr Atama would have opened up when he entered our secretariat and found out that I am the Chairman of Online Media Practitioners in Abia State.

“As a chairman of a recognized Union in Abia State and Nigeria, we have built synergy with security agencies and I am worried that this man wanted to embarrass my office and breach the already-existing relationship with the Nigeria Police Force.

“I wish to state categorically clear that I will never be intimidated, succumb to harassment by any highly-placed individual who may want to use the security agencies to intimidate people because they feel they have the money to spend.

“On Monday 9, my colleagues accompanied me to the Abia State Police Command to register our displeasure over the failed attempt to embarrass, intimidate and abduct me in such a shameful manner.

“I want to thank the Abia State Police Commissioner, CP Danladi Isa, for condemning the failed attempt and I want to reassure him that OMPAN will continue to work in synergy with the police in the fight against crime and criminality in Abia State.

“I have submitted a formal complaint to the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters Abuja against Mr Francis Atama and I want to call on the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG.Hashimu Argungu (Rtd)
to look into this ugly development and handle the unprofessional conduct of Mr Francis Atama of the FCID and his team on Friday December 6 2024.

“And to the Petitioner, rushing to attempt using the Police to harass man has failed”.