GOVERNMENT House policemen on Monday manhandled and arrested the Imo State correspondent of The Punch, Chidiebube Okeoma, for covering widows, who were protesting unpaid six months’ salary arrears. According to the Punch, the policemen, who came in the company of thugs from the Owerri Capital Development Authority, slapped and punched the journalist before bundling him into their waiting vehicle. They also confiscated his mobile phones, power bank and threatened to shoot him if he dared say any word. After beating the journalist, the visibly charged policemen drove him into the Governor’s Office in Owerri. Okeoma said he was marched into the governor’s office from where he was taken to the office of the Chief Security Officer in charge of the state Government House, Shaba Adamu. Okeoma, who further relayed his ordeal, explained that Adamu requested he (Okeoma) should be detained, but on a second thought, asked the journalist to explain what he was doing where the women were protesting. The journalist said, “I was at the Government House Roundabout where I was covering the widows, who were protesting six months’ salary arrears owed them by the state government. “While I was there, policemen wielding rifles with thugs from OCDA moved towards me menacingly after cocking their guns. One of them immediately slapped me while the other punched me on my left eye and instantly took all my gadgets. “The policemen, who were harassing and intimidating me in the vehicle, marched me like a common criminal to the office of the governor where I was bundled into the office of the Government House Chief Security officer, Shaba Adamu. “On sighting me, Adamu said that I ought to have been detained instead of bringing me to him. I told him that I wasn’t a criminal, but the Imo State correspondent of The PuncH. Okeoma added that the policeman later gave him N5,000 to treat himself, saying, “I collected it at gunpoint.” According to the journalist, he was warned not to cover any protest again. “I have since taken the money to the state police command, but the police authority didn’t take it. I feel pains internally owing to the beating from the policemen,” he said. The journalist said he had since reported the development to the state Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, adding that the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, had apologised to him.

A 500-level student of the Akwa Ibom State University in Ikot Akpaden identified as Iniobong Ekpo has been expelled for allegedly insulting Emmanuel Udom, the state governor, on Facebook. Ekpo was in his final year at the varsity’s agricultural engineering department when he was expelled for his 2019 Facebook post about Udom which the university described as a “derogatory and defamatory article”. He was first suspended indefinitely in September 2020 before his expulsion via a letter dated April 9, 2021. In the article, Ekpo, under the pseudonym “Afrosix Jaara”, accused Udom of failing to make good on a 2017 monetary reward he had pledged to the then-graduating students of the university who proved to be outstanding. “It’s 2 years and 166 days…, yet, none of the graduands received a Naira. Even the first-class graduands were unattended to when they went to his office,” Ekpo had said while allegedly distorting Udom’s name to accuse him of scam. But in the expulsion letter delivered to him, the university said Ekpo’s article breached the matriculation oath he had signed and violated the university rules and regulations enshrined in the student information handbook. The university also said that he was made to appear before a disciplinary committee but Ekpo denied any such hearing. “As its 69th meeting held on Wednesday, 31st of March, 2021, the senate of Akwa Ibom State University deliberated on the report from the disciplinary committee,” the varsity wrote to Ekpo. “You will recall that you appear before the committee on a case of publication of a derogatory and defamatory article on Facebook about the executive governor of Akwa Ibom state and the visitor to the university. “This act constitutes a breach of matriculation oath and violation of the university rules and regulations enshrined in the student information handbook. You are hereby expelled for this act of gross misconduct. “You are required to submit to the dean, division of student affairs, your student identity card and any other property of the university in your possession before your exit from the university.” Ekpo threatens to sue Akwa Ibom varsity In documents seen by TheCable Lifestyle, Ekpo gave the varsity seven days to restore his studentship or face legal actions. In the documents dated June 18, 2021, and issued by Inibehe Effiong, his lawyer, Ekpo also demanded N20 million from the varsity as general damages for “the breach of his fundamental rights.” “At no time did the Akwa Ibom State University invite or summon our client to appear before the university’s Students’ Disciplinary Committee prior to his indefinite suspension. Our client was not shown, confronted or availed with the purported abusive post,” it read. “It is apparent that the university acted in contravention of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. “Consequently, we hereby demand the following: immediate and unconditional reinstatement of our client; restoration of all studentship rights accruable to all students of the university; and the payment of the sum of N20m to our client, representing damages for the gross breach of our client’s fundamental human rights and the resultant depression he has suffered.” TheCable Lifestyle had, in 2019, reported how a student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) identified as Michael Ifemosu was similarly expelled over his criticism of the institution on Facebook.

The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Christopher Isiguzo, on Monday reiterated the position of stakeholders in the media towards the National Press Council (Amendment) Bill currently before the National Assembly. He said a stakeholders’ meeting was important to settle the grey areas. He added that any regulation that tended towards the control of the media by the government would be resisted. Isiguzo spoke while featuring on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, monitored by one of our correspondents. He said, “From the NUJ’s perspective, we did not really object to that public hearing; but from the Nigeria Press Organisation’s perspectives, made up of the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria, the Nigeria Guild of Editors and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, we are opposed to the planned amendment. We told the National Assembly that the matter was of contention in court and it would be sub-judice to discuss. “I do not think anybody is allergic here if you look at the issue in court, we said ‘allow the practitioners and stakeholders to regulate themselves.’ “In Ghana, the person heading the press council is a journalist. So, when you allow us to regulate ourselves, it is a lot easier. If you look at the proposed amendment bill, you will see that they want to criminalise a journalist. “For instance, if a journalist breaches the ethical code, you want him to go to prison; we said no. There are ways that we can sanction the persons as practitioners. “We can suspend the person and we can also get the NUJ to strike out the membership of such an individual instead of sending the journalist to jail. These are the grey areas we feel should be struck out in the amendment.” Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Media Career Development Service, Lekan Otufodunrin, said the amendment bill and the Decree 4, enacted by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 1984 during his regime as military Head of State, are the same. During an interview on Monday with one of our correspondents, Otufodunrin said the two pieces of legislation were meant to stifle the press in Nigeria. Otufodunrin said, “Decree 4 was during the military regime and even then, it was heavily criticised by journalists and this led to the imprisonment of some prominent journalists. “The interesting thing then was that when Buhari came in, he said he was going to tamper with press freedom and he did. This Press Bill, as well as the NBC Bill are just indications that this government seems determined to stifle the press freedom we have. “It is quite unfortunate that this is coming under a democratic system of government. They can amend law because the laws have been in place for years and it is believed that events must have overtaken them, but what they are proposing is totally different. “This is an attempt to stifle press freedom and it is a deliberate act to control and monitor the activities of the media. “Most people would not have been aware because they planned to do it in a quiet way. They came for Twitter when nobody expected it but we are hopeful that members of the House of Representatives will listen to the voices of reason from the media stakeholders.” Otufodunrin also said it was shocking that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who is a lawyer, could support the move. “The Minister of Information used to be the Publicity Secretary for the All Progressives Congress and we saw how he used the media and social media to counter the Peoples Democratic Party and bring his principal to power. “For someone who is also a lawyer and knows about the importance of the press, it is quite shocking even in his office as the Minister of Information,” he said. Also, the Editor, Premium times, Idris Akinbajo, said media practitioners should not be deterred. He said, “Nigeria is slipping down the ladder when it comes to the freedom of press. “With this direction, it is same with the Decree 4. The media should not allow themselves to be cowed into submission and they should ensure they report objectively and courageously.” TheEditor of The Cable, Kolapo Olapoju, said the bill should not be allowed to scale through because it was against the democratic system of government. He said, “The law will gag the media. It is not in the best interest of democracy and that of the media to have such a law in place. It is going to suppress freedom of speech to a large extent. Such law would put the media at the mercy of the government.” Also, a media practitioner, Amb. Yemi Farounmbi said, “The NPC amendment bill would definitely stifle dissemination of information in the country which is guaranteed in Section 22 of the 1999 constitution. “The Ministry of Information and Culture has not comported itself well and it should have a rethink. “Decree 2 and 4 stifled information. Decree 4 particularly stifled information that was factual. What mattered was that it must not be brought to the notice of the public. Decree 4 dealt only with the print media that time because of its role but with technology it would be extended to other outlets.” Source: PUNCH.