NIPR, MDINigeria condemn attacks on journalists in Kaduna

The National Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) yesterday condemned the invasion of the Kaduna Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in which some journalists were attacked by political thugs.

In the incident, which took place during a press conference by a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, the thugs also destroyed the working tools of the journalists including cameras, cell phones and recorders.

The NIPR decried the action of the thugs through its Vice Chairman, Mukhtar Sirajo, during his solidarity visit to the union, saying that NIPR and NUJ were partners in progress.

His words: “I am here to commiserate with the NUJ over the unfortunate incident. There is the need for all of us to rise and condemn such attacks on journalists.

“As responsible members of the society with different opinions, we can always disagree to agree on issues of interest and also agree to disagree.”

Sirajo, who was a Special Assistant on Media to former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, urged politicians to exercise caution in their actions, adding that, “the test of a man is his ability to respect other people’s opinion and share from their feelings.”

Meanwhile, the state Chairman of NUJ, Adamu Yusuf expressed gratitude to Sirajo for the visit. “I have never seen such an incident before, but I salute the courage of my members to withstand the harassment,” he said.

Also, the Media for Development Initiative (MDINigeria) yesterday condemned the attack on the Kaduna Council of the NUJ by hired thugs who were bent on destabilising the press briefing.

A statement signed by MDINigeria’s Team Leader, Ahmed Maiyaki in Kaduna said: “The attack on journalists remains condemnable and unacceptable as it was an assault on journalism.

“We demand an immediate investigations into the matter and prosecution of the culprits and their sponsors by relevant security agencies.”