A Nigerian content creator, Evangelist Ebube Joseph, has been arrested and detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Nigeria, allegedly on the instructions of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
According to SaharaReporters, the arrest is said to be connected to Joseph’s commentary on the incessant killings across the state by the marauding Fulani herdsmen.
According to reports, Joseph was initially arrested and detained in an underground cell for 10 days before being released on bail, despite his health condition.
However, after his release, he was later invited to come to Enugu State, where he was detained again and secretly charged to court without legal representation or informing his family of his whereabouts.
Another content creator, David (MC Dave), broke the news of Joseph’s incarceration to SaharaReporters, on Friday, saying that Joseph is being charged to court on the grounds that he defamed the governor.
MC Dave said, “An Anambra-based content creator that was whisked away by the DSS on the instructions of the Governor of Enugu State on the grounds that he was defaming him (Governor) has been rearrested.”
In a video posted on Facebook last week, Evangelist Joseph narrated his ordeal in the hands of the DSS operatives, saying that for the 10 days that he was incarcerated, he felt he would not come back alive.
He said, “The day I was arrested, about 2am, many people, even in the village where I live, everybody knows that I was arrested. DSS came with four vehicles to the house I am living in as a tenant, they carried me, covered my eyes, and handcuffed my hands behind my back for committing no crime, only that I spoke about the killings by Fulani herdsmen across Nigeria and in particular Enugu State.”
Joseph explained that he was arrested not because he committed any crime but because he spoke out about the killings and used his platform to speak for those who cannot speak.
He said, “I didn’t do anything bad, my only crime is that I made a video online concerning what is happening in Nigeria generally.”
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of content creators and the freedom of speech in Nigeria.
In the past two weeks, at least 16 people had been killed in renewed attacks in Mgbuji and Agu-Amed autonomous communities in Eha-Amufu Isi-Uzu local government area of Enugu State.
