The Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has urged Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to immediately identify and discipline the ‘power intoxicated’ police officers who attacked the Union’s secretary, Bunmi Adigun, on Friday.
Adigun was said to have been attacked by an overzealous police officer assigned to the governor of Osun State during an occasion in which Mr Adeleke was to be awarded a chieftaincy title in the Joga Orile Area of Ogun State.
It was reported that when Mr Adeleke arrived at the event venue, where his counterpart in Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, was already seated, his security guards, who were primarily police officers, were aggressively clearing the foot part when they pushed both journalists and non-journalists.
Angered by their actions, the secretary of the Ogun State Council of NUJ, who had also been pushed, addressed the police but was beaten and manhandled.
According to Adigun, the mask-wearing cops acted irrationally, as if they were assigned to hunt out journalists.
Wale Olanrewaju, the state chairman of the Union, quickly chastised the policemen for their acts.
In a sharply worded statement made accessible to media in the state, Olanrewaju urged the governor to intervene in the case and bring the policemen involved to justice.
The statement reads:
“The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council strongly condemn the deplorable, unjustifiable and inhumane attack on our esteemed colleague and Secretary of the Council, Comrade Bunmi Adigun and his cameraman from the Ogun State Television (OGTV) by the overzealous and uncivilized security agents attached to the Governor of Osun State, Governor Ademola Adeleke, at Joga-Orile in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
“This reckless and reprehensible behaviour towards a member of the press, who was simply carrying out his professional duties, is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in a democratic society, granted that any form of assault on a journalist is an affront to the fundamental principles of press freedom and the right of citizens to access accurate and unbiased information. The press must remain free, unshackled, and empowered to fulfil its vital role in society.
“It is deeply concerning that individuals entrusted with the responsibility of upholding law and order would resort to using excessive force and intimidation against journalists. Such actions not only undermine the integrity of the media but also erode the trust between the government and the people it serves.
“We urge Governor Adeleke to take swift and decisive action to hold the perpetrators of this attack accountable and to ensure that measures are put in place to safeguard the rights and safety of journalists as attacks on the press will not be tolerated in any form and that those responsible shall be made to face the full force of the law.
“As a unified body, we stand in solidarity with our colleague and strongly demand an immediate public apology to our colleague and a commitment from the Governor of Osun State to uphold the rights and safety of journalists. Any failure to address this matter with the urgency and seriousness it warrants will be viewed as a disregard for the rule of law and an assault on press freedom.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
