By Esseh Ikora
Condemnations have continued to trail the attack on five Journalists from the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the Government House gate.
According a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Correspondents’ Chapel Comrade Iniobong Ekponta and Anthony Bassey, explained that “the Executive and other leaders of the Chapel had visited the Government House to keep a scheduled appointment with Mr. Ekerete Udoh, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Udom Emmanuel, but ended being manhandled by a DSS operative manning the gate”.
The DSS officer, who claimed to have earlier worked with former governor Godswill Akpabio, had physically assaulted the reporters including the former Chairman of the Chapel, Inemesit Akpansoh of the Guardian newspapers; Emeka Samuel of National Pilot and others.
“When we inquired to know why we should not be allowed in, the overzealous officer threatened to open fire on us if we refused to heed his instruction to reverse our car out of the Government House”, Ekponta, who led the delegation, stated.
Explaining further Ekponta said, “the DSS man became more infuriated when he discovered we were Journalists, he threatened that he was going to shoot all of us right there if we continue to stand here. H boasted that we should “call anyone you want to call; I have worked with former governor Godswill Akpabio before in this State”.
All entreaties by some Mobile Policemen guarding at the gate proved abortive, as the DSS official continued to harass the reporters, accusing them of “always coming to beg for money”.
“You said you are press; is press somebody’s name? Don’t we know it is money you always come to beg here?”, he fumed and shoved the journalists away.
When contacted, the governor’s CPS, who scheduled the meeting with the Correspondents, condemned the action, saying “just wait I will speak with him, only where I am now is far from the gate”.
It could be recalled that cases of harassment of Journalists by DSS officials have been rife especially during State Government events where media aides have taken decision to ban independent Journalists from covering activities of government.
For instance, former The Nation Correspondent, Kazeem Ibrahim, was hospitalized for weeks, following heavy brutalization he suffered from DSS officials while trying to cover government function at the Government House Banquet Hall.
Worried by the development, the then Akwa Ibom NUJ Chairman, Comrade Joe Effiong, had led a peaceful protest along with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel, where officials of government apologized.
The Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Mr. Clfford Thomas, condemned the action, describing it as “a threat to the freedom of information”.
“The CPS is the major source of information from the governor and the government. So it is very wrong for DSS official to act in a manner that is not consistent with the right and privileges the constitution accord Journalists in the course of doing their work. We condemned such action in a very strong terms and the DSS leader in Nigeria should call their men to order.
“Hounding of defenseless Journalists should be stopped forthwith, because not long ago, journalists were manhandled and their work tools destroyed by soldiers on ‘Operation Python Dance 11’ in Umuahia, Abia State”, the CLO chief said.
He called on the DSS to examine their ranks and engage their men in training and retraining exercises from time to time in order to re-orientate the psyche of their officers on military\civilian relationship, noting that similar allegation of torture and high-handedness leveled against SARS, have forced the public to call for the ban of such Police structure.
