Harassment of journalist: Rights group petitions international community

By Adeleye Kunle

A Niger Delta civil society organization, said it had petitioned the international human rights community about what it called ‘gestapo’ tactics used against journalists in Akwa Ibom State, TrackNews reports.

Tijah-Bolton Akpan, the organization’s Executive Director, stated this in a statement signed by the organization’s media contact person, Nneka Luke-Ndumere, and made available to TrackNews in Uyo on Sunday.

Akpan explained that the organization petitioned the rights community in response to the recent arrest of a newspaper distributor in the State, Mr Chidi Ngadiuba, by police operatives in lieu of the publisher of the mail newspaper, Nfreke Nseowo, who was accused of writing an offensive report to the State government.

He urged the police to formally summon Nseowo for questioning if the State government finds his reports offensive, and warned that the State government and security agencies should stop harassing journalists in the state.

“We have observed a rising spate of incidents that constrain media freedom and civic space and must restate that citizens’ freedom and fundamental rights, including those of the media and human rights defenders, are not subject to the whims and caprices of security operatives or the government,” the statement says. If anyone is offended by reports in The Mail Newspaper, the police should formally summon Nseowo.

“There are more civilized ways to seek redress than using security operatives to harass journalists and newspaper distributors.”

“The media has a responsibility to hold the government accountable to the people, and we will not stand by and watch any attempt to intimidate and scare journalists into not performing their constitutional roles.” We would like to inform the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigeria Police that the international human rights community has been made aware of this troubling trend.