Re: Death Of Three Inmates: Separating Truth from Falsehood

The attention of Akwa Ibom State Police Command has been drawn to some media reports insinuating that three out of the forty-one (41) suspects pertaining to the March 22, 2011 mayhem, arraigned and remanded in Prison Custody, have died. These reports to say the least are unfounded, baseless, false and spurious. They are obviously calculated by some mischievous section of the print media to cause panic, fear, disaffection and stoke the embers of ethnicity among the good people of Akwa Ibom State.

Reporters of this fallacious news should be honest and patriotic enough to avail members of the public the names and addresses of the supposed dead inmates and the place where their corpses are kept.

It is important to remind all media practitioners that responsible and investigative journalism is the hall mark of every journalist worth his salt. We should strongly resist the temptation of being used as instruments of yellow journalism which appeal to people to take up arms against their fellow citizens, no matter the temporary pecuniary gain.

Media practitioners should AT ALL TIMES objectively verify and cross chech their facts to avoid misinformation.

Nigeria belongs to all of us. In this regard any attempt to cause disharmony, disaffection and hatred among us MUST be resisted at all costs.

We MUST all collectively and individually ensure a FREE, FAIR AND VIOLENCE FREE - FREE election. Signed:

  ASP. Onyeka Orji,
 
Police Public Relations Officer,  
Akwa Ibom State.