Jay FM Journalists Detained After Coverage of APC Chairman’s Mother’s Funeral in Jos

Update: The detained journalists were released on Saturday night, according to Jay FM’s management.

Two journalists from Jay FM Jos, Kershia Jang and Ruth Marcus, were detained on Saturday, October 4, during coverage of the funeral of Lydia Yilwatda, mother of the ruling APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, at the COCIN Headquarters Church in Jos, the Plateau State capital. 

According to Clinton Garuba, Managing Director of Jay FM, the journalists were taken by the Department of State Services (DSS) after filming an altercation between the church’s resident pastor and security personnel, who had restricted the pastor’s access to the church ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s arrival.

The footage, which showed the confrontation, went viral on the station’s platform before being removed following a rebuttal from church authorities. It was republished later that evening, shortly after the journalists’ detention was announced.

Garuba condemned the detentions as a serious violation of press freedom and human rights, calling the actions “illegal, undemocratic, and unacceptable” and describing them as a “blatant violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of the press and expression.” He added that the press “is not the property of the state” and emphasised the dangers such actions pose to journalists working in politically sensitive contexts.

Jay FM has previously reported instances of harassment against its staff, and Garuba highlighted that this incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by media professionals in Plateau State and across Nigeria. Various media organisations and human rights groups have since demanded the immediate release of the journalists and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their detention. As of now, the DSS has not issued an official statement regarding the case, and the journalists’ whereabouts remain unclear.

This is a developing story.