Through its Safety and Protection of Journalists, or SPJ, program, the International Press Center, IPC, Lagos, has voiced serious concerns about the alleged police brutality against Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, or FIJ.
When Ojukwu visited the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) to gather information about police officers suspected of extorting money from detainees, he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse by officers at the Ikeja Police Command in Lagos, according to IPC-SPJ Hub.
Ojukwu suffered injuries during the incident, and his phone was damaged, his eyeglasses were smashed, and his wristwatch was violently removed.
Thus, the IPC-SPJ Hub has called on Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, to keep his promise to examine CCTV footage of the attack and make sure those responsible are held accountable.
It called for the police to take action to make up for what it called an inhumane attack on Ojukwu.
IPC emphasized in a statement:
In addition to enacting reforms that ensure journalists are respected and protected, the police must act quickly and appropriately to bring those responsible for the assault to justice.
“Officers must always be reminded that protecting citizens, including journalists and all other civilians, is their first responsibility.”
In a related development, the IPC-SPJ Hub denounced the treatment of a former president of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and editor with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
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