There was a mild drama on Sunday after the Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Governor, Mary Noel-Barje, ordered the arrest of The PUNCH correspondent in the state, Adebayo Ayinde.

Noel-Barje’s latest action is coming after many attempts by the aide to coerce our correspondent into writing stories from her point of view.

There has been no love lost between PUNCHman and the CPS over the journalist’s independent attitude.

Ayinde said before the Sunday incident, he had been told that the said CPS sent his pictures to some security men in the state.

He said Noel-Barje once told him to leave the Government House but he ignored her.

“There was a time the Chief Press Secretary instructed the security operatives at the Government House to bar me from entering the place,” he said.

Ayinde said the Sunday drama started after one of the security operatives at the Government House wanted to take him out of the place.

The journalist said, “The man beckoned on me and when I approached him, he wanted to take me out of the Government House. He said I must follow him. When other colleagues saw his move, they rallied round and insisted that I would not follow him.

“It was during the argument that we got to know that the CPS told the security aide to arrest me. Many of the security officers confirmed it.

“It took the intervention of other journalists in the state to stop the unethical conduct of the said CPS.

“When they asked her what I did, she decline comments.”