The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has called on the government to as a matter of urgency brings to justice the personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Police who assaulted two journalists in the course of their duty in Abuja.
The Body decried the attack on Friday Olokor, a Senior Correspondent with The Punch Newspaper and Patience Ihejirika, a Reporter with Leadership Newspapers in Abuja, saying that it was totally against the fundamental human rights.
IPC in its confirmation disclosed that both were molested on Thursday while trying to gain access to M & M Events Centre, Abuja where they had gone to cover the ongoing African Women Conference organised by dRPC (Development Research and Projects Centre) with the support of Ford Foundation.
IPC’s Journalist, Safety Alert Desk, gathered that while Olokor was physically manhandled, Ihejirika had her phone seized and vital videos deleted to ensure she did not record the assault on Olokor.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said: “This detestable act is very worrisome and totally against the fundamental human rights of Olokor and Ihejirika who identified themselves as journalists.”
IPC noted that the continuous attacks on journalists in Nigeria is particularly worrisome, especially when the perpetrators are security operatives whose main function is to protect lives and property.
The body however, applauded an Assistant Director of DSS who reportedly apologised to Olokor with a promise that the personnel involved would be made to face the consequences of their actions.
IPC therefore demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice immediately.
