Tordue Salem


by Tony Icheku

Twelve days after the Vanguard reporter， Mr. Tordue  Salem was declared missing， his colleagues， the Nigeria Union of Journalists， FCT Council Monday urged the Nigeria Police to take more proactive steps to find him.

The NUJ in a protest march to the Louis Edet  House headquarters of the Police further presented a petition to the Inspector General of Police， IGP Usman Baba Alkali titled ’Demand To Expedite Action for the Locating of Mr Tordue Henry Salem， Journalist’

“...we are here to demand that Mr. Tordue Henry Salem not only be found, but that adequate protection be offered journalists going forward. That the culture of harassment, intimidation, brutalization and disappearances ends. 

”Our demand is reinforced by the fact that as we approach 2023, a General Elections year in Nigeria, the political and economic elites become more desperate to hang on to power and because they will not want to be held accountable to the Nigerian people, the media becomes their major target.

“ This culture of impunity should and must be arrested by the Nigeria Police as the primary security agencies as well as other sister agencies“, the petiton signed by Mssrs Emmanuel Ogbeche and Ochiaka Ugwu， respectively Chairman and Secretary of the FCT Council  states.                                        

The NUJ further requested that ”the case be transferred to a Special Unit of the IGP” as, ”the magnitude of the disappearance demands for a highly tactical, focused and coordinated Unit under the Office of the IGP.

”We further demand confidential briefing with his family, leadership of the Union and his employers to calm frayed nerves, while we assure of our cooperation in the investigation.”, it added

Stressing that it is the duty of the Police to protect every citizen， the NUJ states ”Let us reiterate that for every journalist that is harassed, assaulted, disappears and murdered, the constitutional guarantee as contained in Chapter 22 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 as Amended is threatened, democracy is weakened and good governance is impossible. The IGP it is for these reasons and more, that your office urgently needs to provide answer, which is locating and reuniting Mr. Tordue Henry Salem with his family.”

Daily Ledger.com.ng reports that Salem of the Vanguard Newspapers went missing on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 right in front of the Total Filing Station less than a 100 meters from the Force Headquarters.

His  colleagues who cover the House of Representatives like him， after 48 hours  realized that he had dissappeared，and a report was immediately incidented at the House of Reps Police Division. This was followed by a petition to both the office of the IGP and that of the Director General of the Department of State Security by his employers - Vanguard Media Ltd.

Regretably 12 days after  Salem’s dissappearance there are no indications  whether he is alive or dead; whether he is captive of the State, a non-state or an alien.