Niger state govt. releases evidence arrested NTA reporter demanded bribe

The government of Niger state on Monday provided what it says were text message exchanges between it and Fejiro Oliver, the journalist declared missing since Friday and eventually paraded by the State Security Service, SSS in Minna on Monday. The text messages as provided by the Niger State government showed that Mr. Oliver allegedly demanded a bribe of N50 million to kill a story about Governor Muazu Aliyu. The spokesperson of Mr. Aliyu, Israel Ebije, told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Oliver, whose real name is Tega Oghenedoro, is actually a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority in Asaba Delta state. “Agreed reporters at times use pen names, but not in this case whereby this man was just using mushroom online platforms to blackmail innocent Nigerians,” he said When pressed for concrete evidence that the journalist actually demanded bribe, Mr. Ebije forwarded to us what he claimed were text messages exchanged between Mr. Oghenedoro and the Secretary to Government of Niger State, Saidu Ndako The Chief Press Secretary to Mr. Muazu said after it became clear that the journalist was out to blackmail officials of the state government, he issued a statement warning him to refrain from his actions or be exposed. “I even put out a caveat to him through his so-called secret reporters warning him of the consequences of his actions, but because he is greedy he still insisted “We are already aware that the documents he claimed to have were given to him by an aggrieved government official, Iliyasu Dhako, who I have on tape confessing and apologising for his action,” he said. He also said when the SSG reported the matter to the State Security Service in Minna, they set up a trap for Mr. Oghenedoro “and he greedily fell into it” . He said most of the communication the SSG had with the journalist was under the guidance of the SSS “just to prove that he was out to extort money” Mr. Ebije said. Below is the full transcript of the text messages exchanged between the reporter and the SSG sequel to his arrival in Abuja after which he was arrested by the SSS at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport. 
Every one wants to be bribed