Nigeria Union of Journalists boycott Kogi Government House over security harassment

Members of the Kogi State Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ have boycotted all functions in Government House in protest over Security Agents harassment at the gate of Government House yesterday November 14.

Kogi NUJ made their grievance known in a letter addressed to the Director General to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo and made copies of the letter available to Newsmen in Lokoja.

The letter which signed by Kogi State NUJ Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim Obansa, explained that the Security Agents on duty threatened to attack harmless Journalists going about their legitimate duty.

It also pointed out that the overzealous Security Agents almost assaulted the Chairman of the Union as they threatened to deal ruthlessly with Alhaji Obansa.

The Union stated in the letter that it took the intervention of other members of the Chapel who prevented the securities from causing bodily harm on their Chairman.

The letter read thus, "I want to bring to your notice of the inhuman treatment the security officials at the Government House gate have always meted out to journalists who are at the Government House to cover its activities for which they were invited.

"Of particular issue is the case in point was on 14th November 2016 when security at the gate prevented the contingent of the correspondent's chapel from accessing the Government house where they were billed to cover a function."

"Consequent upon this the Correspondent Chapel that is a conglomerate of all the National newspapers has decided to suspend all coverages of Government activities in Government House till further notice for our Lives are more important to us."

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that sometime in March, some Security Agents working with the Governor embarrassed members of the Correspondents' Chapel when the then Chairman of the Chapel, Mallam Ademu Idakwo and his members were chased away from covering the swearing-in of the Deputy Governor, Chief Simon Achuba.

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