Nigeria
Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State council has cried out against on-going
consistent attacks on, and manhandling of journalists who are out and about their
constitutional responsibilities by security agents and state government
officials.
Condemning
the situation as an attack on Press Freedom in the state, the Council in a
statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Mike Ikeogwu and Secretary, Comrade
Churchill Oyowe, decried the attacks with a specific call on the “Chairman of
Uvwie Local Givernment Council, Mr. Ramson Onoyake to apologise to NUJ as well
as arrest, interrogate and prosecute the team that attacked the DBS crew or
face imminent boycott of coverage of programmes and activities within Uvwie
Local Government Area.”
The NUJ
statement reads in full:
16/04/2020
ENOUGH OF
ATTACK ON MEDIA PRACTITIONERS IN DELTA STATE
It is
becoming disheartening that media practitioners, in the course of carrying out
their constitutional responsibility, have unfortunately, turned targets for
attacks by members of the public, particularly security agencies and
governmental bodies in Delta State.
Only
recently, the Chairman of the NUJ, Michael Ikeogwu and a reporter with Daily
Trust newspapers were harassed and manhandled somewhere in Effurun, Uvwie Local
Government Area of the state for inquiring from officials of the state
environmental taskforce if people should congregate for clean up in the face of
effort aimed at curtailing the spread of the Corona virus.
Few days
after that incident, a photo journalist with the Pointer newspapers, Norbert
Amede, was brutally attached by security agents (the police) in Ibusa, Oshimili
North Local Government Area. The attack left Amede physically disfigured and
hospitalized for days.
Several
reports of harassment and intimidation of media practitioners by security
agencies and hired thugs of government functionaries across the state have been
incidented in our secretariat.
Yesterday,
Wednesday, April 15, 2020, Uvwie Local Government registered another attack on
media personnel from Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Warri, who were on their
regular routine to monitor compliance of the lockdown and more importantly,
social distancing at the Effurun Market.
The DBS
Warri team, led by a Deputy General Manager, Linus Chima, was attacked for
covering scenes of clear violation of the social distancing directive by both
the federal and state governments.
We view this
latest attack and previous ones as barbaric in an era where democratic tenets
and freedom of the press are expected to be held in high esteem.
NUJ Delta
State Council hereby, aligns with the earlier call by the DBS Chapter of NUJ
and RATTAWU call on the Chairman of
Uvwie Local Givernment Council, Mr. Ramson Onoyake to apologise to NUJ as well
as arrest, interrogate and prosecute the team that attacked the DBS crew or
face imminent boycott of coverage of programmes and activities within Uvwie
Local Government Area.
We recall
that in the wake of the lockdown, the media were among those exempted from
movement restrictions. This is because of the vital role the media, like other
critical sectors, play in the developmental advancement of society.
Sadly, the
leverage of the media to operate responsibly is daily curtailed and threatened
by security agents and government officials who have skeletons to cover.
We wish to
state that the media will not be daunted in the face of the unfriendly
atmosphere some security agencies and government officials have put in place.
Nevertheless,
we wish to remind governments at all levels in the state of their
responsibility to protect the lives of the citizens, including media
practitioners. We have not recorded any death among our folds. At the rate
these abusers of the media are going, we might soon register.
This is why
the authorities must stand up to their responsibilities and protect the
sanctity of the freedom of the press as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
We however
call on our members to be law abiding and continue to go about their duties
responsibly while we call on authorities in the local, state and federal
governments to take urgent steps to stem the tide of attacks on media
personnel.
For the avoidance of doubt, our governmental
bodies should be reminded that these same media they are treating with disdain
were at the forefront of the fight for the democracy these levels of government
are presenting savouring. The media deserve a better deal.
In
conclusion, we may be left with the option of a total blackout of coverage of
the lock down order if the needless attacks on our highly esteemed members
continues.
Long Live
NUJ Delta State Council
Long Live
Delta State
Long Live
Nigeria
Signed:
Michael
Ikeogwu, State Chairman of the NUJ
Churchill
Oyowe, State Secretary of the NUJ
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