28th January, 2014
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC CONDEMNS CIVIL DEFENCE BRUTALISATION
OF JOURNALIST IN IBADAN
Men
of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCD) last Friday, 24th
January, 2014, brutally assaulted Mr. Waheed Adebayo, Oyo State Correspondent
of Leadership Newspapers, at the installation of a new Catholic Archbishop of
Ibadan Diocese.
An
officer of the NSCD who was identified as Mr. Anjorin particularly singled out
Mr. Adebayo. He beat him up and tore his cloth. His colleagues also joined him
in dragging the reporter. The officials continued to rough-handle Mr. Adebayo
despite efforts by other journalists to identify him.
We
of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemn this outrageous display of
impunity and overzealousness. By this barbaric action, NSCD men have exposed
themselves as coming from the same stuff that most uniformed men are made in Nigeria.
With
the exception of a few God-fearing and disciplined officers, most soldiers,
police and para-military men become intoxicated with power the moment they don
the uniform. Their actions are openly hostile and surprisingly anti-people, the
same people they are paid to protect and the same people who pay the tax which
is used to pay their salaries. This is one of the reasons why citizens are
afraid to come forward to give useful information that may help in identifying
criminals.
As
the Fourth Estate of the Realm, journalists are held in high esteem in civilized
countries and both governments and organizers of events should see them as
partners in progress because activities of governments and public events will
remain unknown without the support of journalists. Napoleon was reported
as saying that he would rather face a thousand swords than the wrath of a
single journalist. The NSCD officials who brutalized Mr. Adebayo have
only manifested their ignorance and improper training. Knowledgeable people
treat journalists with respect.
Neither
democracy nor the rule of law can survive without a free press. The principles
of equal rights, freedom and justice will go to the dogs without a virile
press. Journalists are the voice of the voiceless and the strength of the jamaheer
(masses) and the downtrodden. By implication therefore, any attack on
journalists is an attack on the jamaheer. Who will speak for the poor and
oppressed if journalists are intimidated?
The barbaric attack on Mr. Adebayo has once again revealed the dangers
to which journalists are exposed on a daily basis. MURIC appeals to the courageous members of this noble
profession to remain focused in spite of this brutal attack. we call for strong
disciplinary action against the NSCD officials for behaving like thugs in
uniform and for dragging the name of the organization in the mud.
We
charge the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to rise to the occasion. NUJ
must regard this as ‘attack on one, attack on all’. Why should a journalist be
treated like a thief caught in the act? Many journalists have suffered this
kind of humiliation in the past and the uniformed culprits have often gone scot
free due to the inability to identify them. But this is a different case. We
have names and pictures of suspects. NUJ must insist on their arrest and
prosecution. Those behind the public
humiliation of Mr. Adebayo must be taught a lesson as a deterrent for other
overzealous uniformed men.
Finally,
we remind security agencies and all men in uniform that civility is sine
qua non in the fight against crime. Criminals cannot be fought
single-handedly by security agents alone. They need the cooperation of the
general public. To get this vital cooperation, they need to be friendly and
civil in the discharge of their duties. This is how to win the confidence of the
citizenry.
To assure the general public that it is a well-trained
security agency, NSCD must punish those behind the brutal assault on Mr.
Adebayo and issue a public apology. There must be no attempt to sweep
this matter under the carpet.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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