IPC: Police Must Protect Journalists in Saturday’s Polls
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The authorities of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have been urged to ensure adequate protection of journalists covering the Saturday, March 11, 2023 governorship and State House of Assembly elections across the nation.
The call was made yesterday, at a media stakeholders roundtable held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by the International Press Centre (IPC), with supports from implementing partners of component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria-Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project.
The roundtable, apart from unveiling and discussing the outcomes on the analysis of trends in reportage of the 2023 election issues by 15 print/online newspapers and INEC website/twitter platform for the period January, 2023, addressed related issues of media coverage of the 2023 electoral process, especially, ahead of the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Speaking on the need for security of journalists covering the elections, Dr Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director, IPC, noted that over 20 journalists were attacked during the February 25 national election because they were not adequately protected.
Arogundade expressed regret that every other stakeholder had always received security protection, including internationl and local observers but journalists who ensure the people get information of what is happening at different polling centres are at the mercy of their individual conscious security.
“In 2019, many journalists were attacked. During the presidential elections on February 25 this year, about 20 journalists were also attacked and we feel that the reason for this is because we are not paying enough attention to our safety.
“To that extent, it’s important to let our colleagues know that you are only as good as the story you are able to report and not the story that you are unable to report, because you have been careless.
“But safety is not about the loan, it’s also about protection and whatever it is we have been doing, is to call on the law enforcement and security, to ask the police to make it their digital potential to protect the journalists.
Earlier, Olutoyin Ayoade, Communication officer, IPC, also cautioned journalists to be security conscious in the line of their duty during the election.
“IPC is urging all journalists who will be on election duty to take their safety seriously as experience has shown that journalists face harassment during elections by security agents, political party supporters and others, with IPC recording about 250 of such incidents in 2019,” she said.
