From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Chris Isiguzo has described any attack on journalists as an attack on democracy.
Comrade Isiguzo who made the call in Lokoja on Thursday at the grand finale of the Press Week organised by the Kogi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), wondered while Journalists should be the target of their failure.
The NUJ president described the role of journalists as pivotal to the emergency of responsible and thriving democracy in Nigeria, stressing “media should not be treated as guests to governance but as a critical stakeholders in ensuring good governance.”
He therefore charged Media houses in Nigeria to remain a strategic stakeholders in the development of Democracy despite the challenges and professional hazards.
Comrade Isiguzo who was reacting to the shooting of the Kogi State Correspondent of The Sun Newspaper, Emmanuel Adeyemi, in Lokoja during the recent #EndSARS protests condemned a situation where journalists are made easy targets of attacks in the course of covering crisis which they knew nothing about.
The President called on Nigerian security agencies to arrest and prosecute gunmen that shot the Journalists in Kogi State.
The Kogi state council chairman of the union, comrade Adeiza Momohjimoh, in his address of welcome, expressed gratitude to God for saving the life of Adeyemi, whom he said went through a successful surgery, following the gun shot he sustained during the crisis.
Adeiza pointed out that “in the looting that followed the#EndSARS protests, NUJ members and our secretariat had no issues because we are not located close to any warehouses.”
“As such, the looters have no business coming around the secretariat but unfortunately, the gunmen took over the town on that fateful day, drove pass through our Press centre and shot sporadically
as members scampered for safety.” He added.
“Thank God no one was hit, but our colleague, Emmanuel, who was on his way to the office was shot by some people police described as unknown gunmen.”
Adeiza Momohjimoh confirmed that a successful surgery was done on Emmanuel and he is recovering fast.
