Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has reacted to the dismissal of a Punch reporter from Aso Rock by President Buhari's Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar, yesterday April 24th.

Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has reacted to the dismissal of a Punch reporter from Aso Rock by President Buhari's Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar, yesterday April 24th.

Bashir seized Adetayo's tag and ordered him out of Aso Rock over a report he wrote which was published on the Sunday edition of the paper. The report centered on President Buhari's ill health. Adetayo was escorted out of the Presidential Villa by security operatives after picking his belongings from the Press Gallery of the Council Chamber.

According to reports, the Chief Security Officer to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Abubakar, had earlier summoned Adetayo to his office and questioned him on 2 reports he considered uncomplimentary of Buhari and his administration.

He referred to the lead story of Punch on Sunday titled “Fresh anxiety in Aso Rock over Buhari’s poor health” and queried the motive behind it.



He also referred to the corespondent’s column, Aso Rock Lens, published on Saturday, and titled “Seat of power’s event centres going into extinction.”

Abubakar asked one of his men to go and take the Punch report's statement and revert to him.

photo of the reporter being ordered out of Aso Rock

He thereafter directed the DSS Officer in Charge, Victor Nwafor, to withdraw the correspondent’s accreditation tag and lead him out of the premises after retrieving his personal belongings from the Press Gallery of the Council Chambers.

DSS' Nwafor left an instruction at the Admin Reception that Adetayo should no longer be allowed into the premises after which he handed him over to another security operative who led him to where his car was parked to ensure he left Aso Rock as instructed.

Reacting to the news, Femi via his twitter handle, said the media office of the Presidency was not contacted before the reporter was expelled. He added that President Buhari was committed to press freedom.