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Following the fracas that broke out on Tuesday at the flag off of the All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship campaign in Lagos, the Lagos Journalists League has condemned the unwarranted attacks on journalists by hoodlums.
In a statement signed by the its Secretary-General, Enitan Olukotun, the Lagos Journalists League regretted that adequate security was not provided for journalists thus making them endangered species in the course of duty.
“We are deeply worried that whilst media contributes immensely in deepening the nation’s fragile democracy through election coverage and reportage, the political class who are the biggest beneficiaries of the process could not provide adequate security for our members on such dangerous assignments.
“Perhaps, if Lagos APC had provided tight security measures accorded its VIPs for Journalists at Sky Power Ground, the Group Political Editor of The Nation Newspaper, Emmanuel Oladesu, Temitope Ogunbanke of New Telegraph and Ibile Television cameraman, Abiodun Yusuf would not have been victims of the deadly gang clash at the rally” the body said.
The body demanded that treatment and security measures accorded VIPs and top chieftains of the political parties at rallies should be extended to journalists.
It also wants the APC in Lagos State to immediately provide adequate treatment for Oladesu, Ogunbanke and Yusuf who were attacked by the hoodlums during the fracas saying “after all, the affected journalists are not lesser beings to Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, an APC chieftain who was involved in a similar tragic incidence in Ekiti State”.
It would be recalled that violence broke out yesterday at the flag off of the APC governorship campaign in Lagos when suspected political thugs swooped on the venue leaving several people injured including three journalists covering the event.