August 08, (THEWILL) – The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos State has condemned the reported attack on News Central reporters and cameramen by thugs at Freedom Park, Ojota, on Tuesday, during the ongoing protests against hunger and bad governance in the country.
The IPC, in a statement by its Press Freedom Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, said the thugs, who were more than 10, attacked the press crew who went to the venue to monitor the situation.
According to Akinjiyan, information gathered by IPC’s journalists’ safety alert situation room revealed that there were a handful of policemen nearby but “they did not lift a finger to stop them when the thugs arrived and assaulted the press crew”.
She lamented that the incident and others recorded since the nationwide protests commenced have raised concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists during protests and coverage of social events.
“When the News Central crew arrived, police directed them to leave the park. They relocated to a distant location to continue their live broadcast. During the broadcast, the journalists were confronted by the hoodlums wielding sticks and shovels. The thugs assaulted several reporters and forced them to flee, Daily Report published.
“Report published on Pulse.ng stated that ‘the Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade, has ordered an immediate investigation into this incident. He mandated the investigating team to fish out the miscreants and ensure their prosecution accordingly. He gave this directive yesterday when the crew, led by News Central MD, Kayode Akintemi, submitted an official complaint letter at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja’.
“IPC is, therefore, again calling on the security agencies, in particular the Commissioner of Police of Lagos State, to fulfil his pledge to go after the thugs who assaulted the journalists and interrogate the policemen who looked the other way while journalists were being attacked,” the statement read in part.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
