2 weeks ago
5
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The Federal Capital Territory FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ has condemned successful beardown presumption the unlawful apprehension and battle of an Agence France-Presse AFP journalist, Mr. John Okunyomih, by information operatives during Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protestation successful Abuja.
In a connection issued connected Monday successful Abuja, the Secretary of the Council, Comrade Jide Oyekunle, described the apprehension and harassment of the writer arsenic “a gross usurpation of property state and an affront to antiauthoritarian principles.”
Vanguard gathered that a car belonging to different writer with Business Day newspaper, Tony Ailemen was damaged erstwhile a policeman straight Aimee astatine his car and fired a teargas canister.
“They destroyed the backmost shield of my car. They really fired teargas straight astatine my car”, helium said successful a massage posted to the authoritative NUJ platform.
On his part, Okunyomih was reportedly manhandled by equipped soldiers and policemen who were deployed to disperse protesters demanding the merchandise of the detained person of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
The information agents besides damaged his nonrecreational camera and different instrumentality portion helium was covering the protestation adjacent the Unity Fountain.
The connection demanded an contiguous probe into the incident, calling connected the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Dantawaye Miller to place and authorisation the officers liable for the assault.
“The harassment of journalists performing their morganatic work is unacceptable. Security agents indispensable beryllium reminded that journalists are not enemies of the authorities but partners successful nation-building,” The Statement said.
The Council further urged the authorities to regenerate the journalist’s damaged camera and different enactment tools, stressing that specified compensation would service arsenic a deterrent against aboriginal attacks connected media professionals.
The NUJ FCT Council besides reiterated its telephone connected information agencies to respect the rights of journalists to freely screen nationalist events without intimidation, successful enactment with law guarantees and planetary property state standards.
“ While we admit that helium has been released we hereby request that his camera and different gadgets that were damaged by the weapon toting equipped policemen beryllium replaced with contiguous effect.
“We truthful telephone connected the Inspector General of Police to telephone his officers to bid and beryllium civilian successful dealing with journalists performing their statutory duty”, the connection added.
The station Nnamdi Kanu: NUJ condemns assault, apprehension of journalists, request replacment of damaged tools appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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