Public outcry trails DSS arrest, release of Jay FM journalists in Plateau
Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, two journalists with Jay 101.9 FM Jos, Plateau State who were earlier arrested and detained by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have been released following public outcry and pressure from the station’s management.
The journalists were arrested on Saturday while covering the burial ceremony of the late mother of Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the COCIN Church in Jos. Their arrest, which was initially shrouded in uncertainty, was later confirmed to have been carried out by the DSS.
An eyewitness told BusinessDay that the journalists had captured footage showing DSS operatives preventing some pastors from gaining access to the church premises where the funeral service was taking place.
The eyewitness also confirmed that the security personnel were screening attendees, and in the process, some clerics were denied entry.
The video, which was uploaded to the station’s official website, reportedly drew the attention of the security agency and led to the arrest of the reporters.
In an official statement signed by Clinton Garuba, Managing Director, Jay FM, released to journalists on Sunday in Jos, said the journalists documented this in line with their duty to report public interest matters.
Jay FM maintained that their actions were lawful, ethical, and carried out in full observance of journalistic standards.
The management expressed deep concern over the arrest, describing it as arbitrary, illegal, and a gross violation of press freedom and human rights.
Jay FM condemned the actions of the DSS, insisting that their staff were simply performing their journalistic duties.
Efforts to secure the release of the journalists were initially rebuffed, according to the management, but the pressure eventually led to their freedom.
“Further to our earlier statement regarding the arrest of our staff, Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, who were assigned to cover the burial rites of the late mother of the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, at the COCIN headquarters Church, we wish to inform you that they have been released.
“Upon confirming that the DSS was holding them, frantic efforts were made to secure their release. Although our efforts were initially rebuffed, they were eventually released.
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“This event has once again prompted us to draw attention to the disturbing issues of press freedom violations, human rights abuses, and the erosion of the rule of law by security agencies.
“We want to reiterate that as professionals, our staff did what journalists are trained and ethically mandated to do: they documented an incident on video for public record and accountability,” the statement read.
Jay FM maintained that journalism is a public service profession and should not be criminalised. “To criminalise this duty is to criminalise truth itself,” the statement added, as it warned security agencies against treating journalists as enemies of the state.
The station further urged the DSS to operate within the confines of the law, warning that Nigeria is a democracy, not a military regime. It stressed that power must be exercised with civility and respect for the rights of citizens, including members of the press.
Reaffirming its commitment to truth and accountability, Jay FM called on Nigerians, the media, and the international community to resist any attempt to gag the press. “When journalists are silenced, democracy dies in darkness,” the statement warned.
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The incident has drawn criticism from press freedom advocates and the broader media community who see it as part of a growing pattern of intimidation against journalists.
