Over the next four months, state security forces kept the magazine's offices under constant surveillance, occupied them on more then one occasion, seized thousands of copies of the magazine, and assaulted its journalists." This consistent pressure from the government forced "Tell" to begin printing underground in July of 1993.
"On August 15, state security operatives and police ransacked the magazine's offices and detained Igiebor, executive editor Kola Ilori, managing editor Onome Osifo-Whiskey, and senior associate editor Ayodele Akinkuoto for 12 days.
Even with the senior editors in detention, the attacks on "Tell" continued. 'Two or three days after we were arrested... they came to our office during production... and assaulted our reporters--took them away and tortured them,' Ilori said.
According to the executive editor, after a magistrate heard the case against the editors-and 'knew it was a phony holding charge'-they were supposed to be released on bail before Babangida handed over power on August 26 and left Abuja the next day. But they were detained an additional few days because 'they thought it would be safer to keep us in Abuja while the man (Babangida) is still there,' Ilori said.
In addition, "Tell's" Ilori pointed out that the magazine remained under surveillance by the security forces through Shonekan's short reign.
In fact, the magazine remained under surveillance after (General) Sani Abacha seized power and lifted the proscription decree, reinforcing how tenuous press freedom remains in Nigeria."