The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has strongly condemned the unlawful arrest and assault of an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist, Mr. John Okunyomih, by security operatives during Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, the Secretary of the Council, Comrade Jide Oyekunle, described the arrest and harassment of the journalist as “a gross violation of press freedom and an affront to democratic principles.”
It was gathered that a vehicle belonging to another journalist with the BusinessDay newspaper, Tony Ailemen, was damaged after a policeman directly aimed at his car and fired a tear gas canister.
“They destroyed the back shield of my car. They actually fired tear gas directly at my car,” he said in a message posted to the official NUJ platform.
Okunyomih, on his part, was reportedly assaulted by armed soldiers and policemen deployed to disperse protesters who were demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The security operatives also damaged his professional camera and other equipment while he was covering the protest near the Unity Fountain.
The statement called for an immediate investigation into the incident, urging the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Dantawaye Miller, to identify and discipline the officers responsible for the assault.
“The harassment of journalists performing their legitimate duty is unacceptable. Security agents must be reminded that journalists are not enemies of the state but partners in nation-building,” the statement said.
The Council also appealed to the authorities to replace the journalist’s damaged camera and other work tools, stressing that such compensation would serve as a deterrent against future assaults on media professionals.
The NUJ FCT Council reiterated its call on security agencies to respect the rights of journalists to freely cover public events without intimidation, in accordance with constitutional provisions and international press freedom standards.
“While we acknowledge that he has been released, we hereby demand that his camera and other gadgets that were damaged by the gun-toting armed policemen be replaced with immediate effect.
“We therefore call on the Inspector General of Police to call his officers to order and be civil in dealing with journalists performing their statutory duty,” the statement added.
