From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, has disowned his Chief Security Officer Bashir Abubakar, over the expulsion of Punch Newspaper’s State House Correspondent, Olalekan Adetayo, from the Presidential Villa. The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina through his twitter handle @femadesina said, “We weren’t consulted in the media office by the CSO before he expelled The Punch reporter. President Buhari is committed to press freedom.
An amicable solution would be found to The Punch reporter matter. President Buhari does not intend to muzzle the media in any way.”
Abubakar had earlier summoned Adetayo to his office and questioned him on two reports he considered uncomplimentary of Buhari and his administration. He referred to the lead story of Sunday Punch of April 23 titled “Fresh anxiety in Aso Rock over Buhari’s poor health” and queried the motive behind it. He also referred to Adetayo’s column, Aso Rock Lens, published on Saturday, April 22, and titled “Seat of power’s event centres going into extinction.” Abubakar asked one of his men to go and take Adetayo’s statement and revert to him. He thereafter directed the Officer in Charge, Department of State Services, Victor Nwafor, to withdraw his accreditation tag and lead him out of the premises after retrieving his personal belongings from the Press Gallery of the Council Chambers. Nwafor left an instruction at the Admin Reception that Adetayo should no longer be allowed into the premises after which he handed him over to another security operative who led him to where his car was parked to ensure he left the premises as instructed.