Bauchi Governor’s Security Men Threaten to Deal with Journalists

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Security operatives attached to Bauchi State Governor, Mr. Bala Mohammed, have threatened to deal with journalists while performing their duty.

The journalists, who are members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), were at the Palace of Emir of Katagum when the governor visited the local government after a violent protest where hoodlums razed the Council Secretariat in Azare.

The incident occurred yesterday inside the Palace Hall when the journalists were trying to record the governor’s speech before an operative of DSS, identified as Abdul, ordered them to vacate the hall.

He went on to threaten them by staying that “this is just the beginning,” even as the governor, in company with other dignitaries, had seated next to his host, the Emir of Katagum.

“You challenged me? You will see. This thing that you have done, this is the beginning,” he warned the journalists, much to the surprise of witnesses in the palace.

One of the journalists replied that this sounds like a threat, but he maintained his utterance that he would deal with the journalists.

“He once molested me at a function, he is quite aggressive,” a Government House crew journalist who pleaded anonymity, said.

Similarly, some of the personnel had on Thursday last week brutalised a person living with disability identified as Hamza Waziri who is now being hospitalised at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital. Waziri was participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest in front of the government house. He was seen in a trending video clip where four police officers attached to the Government House entrance were assaulting him.

Also, Aisha Dogara, a resident of Bauchi who participated in the protest was assaulted with her clothes torn and bruises were seen all over her body.