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The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, MT Salisu, on Thursday, verbally assaulted a Vanguard Correspondent, Haruna Aliyu and threatened to detain him for attending a press conference he was officially invited to.
Aliyu had received an invitation via WhatsApp on Wednesday from the Assistant Public Relations Officer, Mustapha, to attend the press briefing scheduled for Thursday at the Kebbi Customs Area Command.
However, upon sighting Aliyu at the venue, Salisu confronted him aggressively, questioning who invited him, despite having earlier instructed his assistant to extend the invitation.
“You said you wouldn’t come here again, so what are you doing here? I will lock you up!” Salisu allegedly shouted, ordering his assistant to remove Aliyu from the premises.
According to Aliyu, a Daily Trust correspondent had to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating further.
The dispute traces back to an earlier incident when journalists were invited to cover the handing-over ceremony of the Command’s former boss, Mr. Ernest Iheanacho Ihejirika. At the event, Aliyu had previously expressed concerns about how journalists were treated, prompting him to send a text message to Salisu, requesting not to be invited to future events.
“I don’t like the way you treat us. Please do not invite me again to any of your functions,” Aliyu’s message reportedly stated.
Despite this, the latest invitation appeared to have been a setup to humiliate the journalist.
If anything happens to Haruna Aliyu, the Nigeria Customs Service Kebbi Command—particularly MT Salisu—must be held responsible.
