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| IGP, Mohammed Adamu |
The Lagos Journalists' League
(LJL), a group of conscientious
journalists operating in Lagos State has frowned at the barbaric harassment of
journalists by policemen on Tuesday night.
In a statement issued yesterday by the
group's acting Secretary, Enitan Olukotun, LJL queried the rationale behind
locking up, detaining journalists who were designated as essential workers for
being on the road after 8pm when curfew sets in.
Olukotun said: “The police can't feign
ignorance on how pen professionals ply their trade. These journalists who are
rarely appreciated by the society work around the clock to keep the society
informed and stabilise the polity by filtering false news. It is disheartening
that many of our colleagues had to pass the night on major highways across the
state with the attendant health and security risks.”
Olukotun said that the high handedness
and overzealousness of policemen in enforcing the curfew was rather disturbing
even when the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 had earlier given members of
the fourth Estate permission to move without harassment.
He noted that LJL therefore demands
unreserved apology from the police authorities for this act. “Like other essential professionals who had
threatened or embark on industrial action over the harassment, Lagos
journalists can also consider similar action if this unfortunate harassment
continues unabated.”
The secretary further stated: “The
League draws the attention of the public to dangers inherent in news gathering
and processing during this Covid-19 period. Some of our colleagues had
contracted the dreaded COVID-19 virus whilst working to keep the society
informed on the novel virus. It is therefore provocative to compensate our
colleagues who are working in a very difficult condition with detention and
harassment.”
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