Adeleye Ajayi, Lagos State Council of NUJ chairman.
Story by Dili Utomi.
LAGOS CHAPTER OF THE NUJ BERATES THE POLICE
Amidst the uproar generated by the Gestapo style action of the Nigerian Police Force in invading the premises of the Kings Communication Limited, publishers of the MMS Plus magazine, the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists has condemned the action of the Police.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi and his Secretary, Mr. Tunde ‘Starboy’ Olalere, the Council noted that “the NUJ, Lagos Council condemns the arrest of Mr. Yusuf Odejobi a reporter with the MMS Plus magazine in Lagos yesterday”.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday, the 10th of August, it was widely reported that four police officers who were prodded by the head, corporate communications of Dangote Group, Mr Anthony Chiejine stormed the premises of the magazine and later arrested Mr. Odejobi who was handcuffed and paraded for five hours, but later released after a lot of outrage was expressed in the media.
Some other parts of the statement reads “The arrest of the reporter over a report on Dangote Refinery by the news medium was tantamount to gagging the press and another attack by the security operatives on the freedom of the press”.
The Lagos Council of the NUJ also condemns the invitation by the police of the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Kingsley Anaroke while also advising the force to take the proper channel of carrying out law and order as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
The statement concludes by saying that there should be a symbiotic relationship between the press and security operatives rather than the latter resorting to bullying and intimidation of the press and also advised the force to tender an apology to the media house, while noting that nobody can gag the press.
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