AMDF Condemns Harassment Of Journalists By Nigeria Police Force

A statement issued by the Program Officer, Africa Media Development Foundation, Joy Gadani strongly condemning this act calls for caution on the part of the police as such act is not only embarrassing but unacceptable.

“Reports say Police in Zaria-Kaduna North West Nigeria, on Wednesday

August 12 arrested and detained Mustapha Yauri , a Zaria district

correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for several hours while

covering a rift between trailer drivers and the state’s traffic law

enforcement agency, popularly known as KASTELEA.

According to Yauri, he had just concluded his interviews  with eye

witness on the scene and had proceeded to take pictures when a plain

clothe officer attempted to seize his phone but he declined.

“The police officer whom I later learned that he is the Divisional Crime

Officer then called some armed police men and told them to take me to

police station to detain me and bring my phone back to him”.

“I was detained at the police station for many hours before the DPO Mr.

Ibrahim Abdullahi came into the office and called me for a meeting in

his office where he apologized for what happened to me”,  says local

reports.

Speaking with AMDF, Yauri said it was the most embarrassing thing that

could happen to him, he said although the District Police Officer (DPO)

apologized, the officer responsible insisted he did nothing wrong worth

apologizing.

The chairman, Nigeria union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna Council,

Comrade Adamu Yusuf also spoke to AMDF Press Freedom desk and he

lamented the ignorance of some men of the Nigeria Police Force who still

harass journalists on duty even with proper identification.

“Security operatives must learn to draw the line between performing their

duties of securing lives and property and the abuse of power given to

them by the constitution.

AMDF strongly condemns the harassment and consequent detention of Mustapha Yauri; we are calling on the Nigerian Police Force to give its

men necessary enlightenment on the indispensable role of journalists in

the society, and ensure proper conduct of personnel.

Journalists in Nigeria must be allowed to perform their duties free from

harassment as the fourth estate of the realm. The statement said.