Nigeria-based journalist, Simon Ateba, who was arrested in Cameroon last week for allegedly spying for Boko Haram, the former staff of PMNEWS/THENEWS magazine has finally regained his freedom. It would be recalled that Ateba was detained in his homeland Cameroon after entering a refugee camp with 50,000 Nigerians and was reportedly kept in Mokolo gendarmerie without food. Since his detention last week, both Nigerian and Cameroonian colleagues had gone on social media to condemn the arrest of the famous journalist. However, Ateba went on his Facebook page on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 to announce his freedom. He posted: “After three nights and a day in a stinking cell in Cameroon’s far north and a long questioning at the office of their state security services where they asked me repeatedly ‘are you a spy for Boko Haram?’, I said ‘no. “They asked again, ‘so you’re not a spy for Boko Haram?’ I said ‘Sir as I stated before, I am not a spy, not a spy for Boko Haram, ISIS or any other terrorist organization or country. I am just a powerless journalist with a keyboard and a camera travelling the world to tell little stories of powerless people.’ “Then the state security service agents took me to my hotel room around midnight but without my passport, and phones. I was then taken to the office of their general delegation 30 minutes ago and made to explain again to the top cop. My passport and phones have been given back to me, and I am free to travel out. “Sometimes this profession called journalism sucks, but looking back, I am happy I am a journalist. I will just get back to the cell to give some mosquito stuff and food to the three guys there who taught me to count from one to ten in Fulfulde, the language spoken in northern Cameroon. I thank God.” The Cameroonian journalist, who has passion for investigative journalism, also thanked those who actively campaigned for his release. In particular, he referred to a press conference by Ayodele Samuel for Friends and Associates of Simon Ateba held on Tuesday, September 1, at the International Press Center, Ogba Lagos.
