The International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos has expressed concern about the attack on journalists in the convoy of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sunday June 19, 2022 in Lagos.
According to widely publicised reports, the ugly and bloody incident occurred in the aftermath of a visit to the palace of Oba Rilwan Akiolu by the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was accompanied by the Lagos governor.
The affected journalists, Adeola Ogunrinde and Omatseye Atsenuwa of Smooth 98.1FM, were severely injured, while Adedoja Salam of TVC was left in a state of shock.
Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said in a statement that the worst could have happened to the journalists and therefore charged both the Police and the Lagos State Government to bring the perpetrators to justice to serve as deterrent to those who may be planning similar attacks on journalists in the count down to the 2023 elections.
IPC also decried the arrest and detention of Jeremiah Omoniyi, a campus journalist who was deployed by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to cover the Ekiti governorship poll.
Omoniyi was arrested and taken away by the DSS during the polls on Saturday June 18, 2022 for allegedly recording a video of a brawl involving party agents at a polling unit in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government area in the state.
Mr. Arogundade said the conduct of the DSS operatives amounted to undue harassment and obstruction of a professional journalist on legitimate election duty.
According to him, the leadership of the DSS and other security agencies should sensitize their officers on election duty that there is no law preventing journalists from covering, recording and reporting incidents on Election Day.
