The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has strongly condemned the arrest and harassment of two journalists in Kano State, describing it as an assault on press freedom and democracy.
The Independent mirror reports that a statement signed by NUJ National Secretary Achike Chude, the union criticized the increasing intolerance towards journalists by some government officials. The statement followed the arrest of Buhari Abba, an online editor with Kano Times, and Ismail Auwal, a freelance journalist.
The journalists were detained by the police over a report critical of the state’s Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Waiya.
“Once again, we are witnessing the disdain and intolerance for journalists and journalism in the country by some members of the elite who feel uncomfortable and ‘threatened’ by journalists simply doing their work,” the NUJ said.
According to the statement, Buhari Abba was invited by the Kano State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID), where he was detained for hours.
The NUJ maintained that the journalists did nothing wrong to warrant such treatment, adding, “The Nigeria Police continues to allow itself to be dragged into the mud anytime some government officials are unhappy with journalists doing their job.”
Chude reaffirmed the role of journalists in holding power to account, stating, “Journalists do not have a duty or obligation to love those they are supposed to hold accountable.
At the same time, journalism does not impose an adversarial role that places journalists in direct confrontation with state or non-state actors.”
The NUJ urged authorities to respect constitutional provisions protecting press freedom, warning that “no government can win an all-out war against the media, nor do we seek one. All we ask is to be allowed to do our job in line with the constitution for the betterment of our country.”
The union called on the Kano State Government and the Nigeria Police to end the intimidation of journalists. “We must constantly remind those who think they are protecting democracy by endangering it that the measure of a country’s democracy is the degree of media freedom,” the statement read.
Reaffirming its commitment to upholding professional ethics, the NUJ urged government officials to do the same at all levels.
“We are always willing to hold our members accountable when they stray outside the tenets of the profession. We expect others at the federal, state, and local government levels to do the same. Stop the intimidation,” the statement concluded.
