By Richard Akintade
The Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) Osun State Council has condemned in totality the attack on its members at Olomilagbala, Bolorunduro, in Ilesa East Local Government, describing it as ‘uncivilised and barbaric’.
The union, in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Monday and signed by the State Chairman, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji said the union would do everything possible to make sure that the perpetrators face the wrath of the law.
Five Journalists, namely: Shitu Abdulfatai of Channels TV, his Cameraman, Kadri Kabir, Rafiu Hammed of TV Continental, (TVC) and his Cameraman, Taiwo Adu were among those attacked by suspected thugs.
The newsmen were in Ilesa in the early hours of Monday to cover the protest embarked upon by irate youths over power outage in Ijesa land.
The statement added that the journalists could have lost their lives, if not for the timely intervention of some good samaritans who promptly came to their rescue.
“We are shocked and seriously disturbed by the ruthless attack on four of our members today in Ilesa. We considered such attack as bestial, barbaric and uncivilised; and a declaration of war against journalists who were performing their constitutional responsibility.
The statement reads in parts: “It is indeed regrettable that those who were striving hard to ensure that the legitimate grievance of the people are brought to the attention of concerned authorities suddenly became subject of attack.
” The attack was so brutal to the extent that Taiwo Adu of TVC and Kadir Kabir of Channels could not stand on their feet as at the time of issuing this release. They were callously hit with a bottle and various dangerous objects and held captive for about an hour with serious humiliation.
“They are currently on admission at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospitals, Osogbo. Their Cameras and other gadgets worth millions of naira were completely destroyed.
“While we recognize right of protest as a fundamental right, it must not be allowed to degenerate to the level of being hijacked by hoodlums.
We are calling on security agencies to swing into action and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book without delay.”
