NUJ PETITIONS OGUN CP OVER THREATS TO JOURNALISTS

The Nigerian Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council, has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Mr. Musa Daura, over allegations that eight journalists had been marked for elimination by suspected assassins.

In the petition by the Secretary of the council, Mr. Wale Shokunbi, dated April 12, 2010, and obtained by our correspondent in Abeokuta on Thursday, the union said the reasons for the alleged criminal act on its members had not been ascertained.

Shokunbi, who drew the attention of the police boss to a news report in The Nation of Friday, April 9, 2010, supplied the names of the other correspondents as those of THE PUNCH, The Sun, Daily Independent, ThisDay, Next, Encomium and Vanguard.

The NUJ Secretary said, 'One of the journalists, Ernest Nwokolo of The Nation, is being trailed by some men who described themselves as security officials. The Nation of Friday, April 9, 2010 on page three reported the story with the headline 'Unknown men trail The Nation's reporter in Ogun.'

'It was also rumoured that the other seven journalists have been marked for elimination by these unknown assassins and in any rumour, there is always elements of truth, hence we don't want to leave any chance which has necessitated our letter to your office.'

The council urged the police boss to look into the matter with the urgency it deserved, describing the journalists in the state as law-abiding.