{"id":95290,"date":"2025-10-05T19:56:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T19:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95290"},"modified":"2025-10-05T21:29:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T21:29:27","slug":"tensions-ease-as-dss-releases-female-journalists-detained-at-apc-chairmans-mothers-burial-in-jos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95290","title":{"rendered":"Tensions ease as DSS releases female journalists detained at APC Chairman&#8217;s mother&#8217;s burial in Jos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The tension that overshadowed the funeral of the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman,\u00a0 Nana Lydia Yilwatda, in Jos appears to be subsiding,, following the release of two detained female journalists and a public apology from Nigeria\u2019s top intelligence chief.<\/p>\n<p>The funeral, held at the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) Headquarters in Plateau State, was attended by President Bola Tinubu and other top dignitaries. However, the event took a controversial turn when security operatives reportedly locked out several church officials, including the resident pastor, just as the President arrived.<\/p>\n<p>This sparked a confrontation at the church gates, part of which was captured on video and later circulated on social media. The video showed a visibly upset pastor being restrained, while others voiced their discontent.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-95290-1\" width=\"480\" height=\"736\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VID-20251005-WA0005.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VID-20251005-WA0005.mp4\">https:\/\/everyday.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VID-20251005-WA0005.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>Among those who reported the incident were Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, journalists with Jay 101.9 FM in Jos. Shortly after their coverage went viral, both were arrested by security operatives, triggering a wave of concern from the media community and the public.<\/p>\n<p>Outrage followed online, with many Nigerians criticizing what they called the \u201cpoliticisation\u201d of a sacred space. One user described it as \u201cthe political burial service of the century,\u201d lamenting how even church leaders were denied access for not having invitation cards.<\/p>\n<p>Another added:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is unimaginable \u2013 locking out a resident pastor from his own church during a funeral? The Church needs to rethink how much access it gives politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some, however, questioned the pastor\u2019s timing, suggesting he should have arrived earlier to avoid being caught up in tightened security arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Journalists Released After DSS Apology<\/p>\n<p>Following growing pressure, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) confirmed that Marcus and Jang had been released. The union expressed appreciation for the intervention of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, who not only ordered their immediate release but also personally apologized to the NUJ.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, NUJ National President, Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, described the DSS boss\u2019s actions as \u201ca commendable step in restoring public confidence in our security institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are encouraged by the DSS\u2019s willingness to admit error and take corrective action,\u201d the NUJ stated. \u201cThis marks a shift toward a more accountable and citizen-respecting security culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Call for Continued Reform<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While applauding the journalists\u2019 release, the NUJ emphasized the need for sustained reforms across security agencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPress freedom is the bedrock of democracy,\u201d the statement read. \u201cJournalists must never be treated as adversaries for performing their constitutional duties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The union called on the DSS and other security bodies to enforce internal accountability, urging sanctions for officers who abuse their power.<\/p>\n<p>In closing, the NUJ urged journalists to remain vigilant and professional, reaffirming its commitment to working with security institutions to protect both national interests and democratic freedoms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The tension that overshadowed the funeral of the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman,\u00a0 Nana Lydia Yilwatda, in Jos appears to be subsiding,, following the release of two detained female journalists and a public apology from Nigeria\u2019s top intelligence chief. The funeral, held at the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) Headquarters [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":95293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1488,644,4590],"class_list":["post-95290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-burial","tag-church","tag-journalists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}