After fifteen years in exile, Bunmi Aborisade, former editor/co-publisher of Nigeria’s pro-democracy publication, June 12 Magazine, has returned to Nigeria to lecture at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication.
Mr. Aborisade, who holds a doctorate in communication studies, was arrested during the June 12 struggle and detained at the Ikeja Military Cantonment, the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), and the Office of the State Security Service (SSS) Lagos.
Following his release from detention in Nigeria, he fled to Ghana to seek refuge and was arrested by the Rawlings regime for campaigning against the then Nigeria military junta. He was asked to leave Ghana by the Rawlings regime and was consequently relocated to the United States by the US government.
While in exile, Dr. Aborisade was the President of Nigerian Journalists in Exile, a gathering of Nigerian journalists driven into exile by the Abacha regime. He was also the pioneer Chairman of the US-based Nigeria Democratic Liberty Forum (NDLF), a pro-democracy organization to rally Nigerians in diaspora in order to promote democracy, human rights and good governance in Nigeria.
Also, unknown politicians in Ado-Ekiti poured acid on Mr. Aborisade’s mother, Emily Omope Aborisade (a.k.a Mama Thatcher) on December 10, 2002, during the regime of Governor Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti State.
Mrs Omope-Aborisade later died of complications from the acid attack on March 2, 2003.
Mr. Aborisade, worked with the Daily Times of Nigeria as reporter, June 12 magazine as Editor/Co-publisher, The Independent Newspaper, Accra, Ghana as Deputy Editor, Arizona Daily star USA and African Observer newspaper, New York.
Before his appointment at Afe Babalola University, Dr. Aborisade taught at the State University of New York and College of New Rochelle, New York. He holds a Ph.D in communications.
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