Armed thugs earlier today attacked Ibrahim Musa Maizare, chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zamfara State chapter and threatened to kill him journalists afterwards.
The incident, according to reports, started when Maizare ordered that renovation work ongoing at the union’s secretariat be stopped. But the labourers taking orders from some thugs ignored him, saying the place was given to them by a politician. The shop they were renovating was hitherto used as a campaign office by the thugs. Before that, it was initially hired to food vendors.
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In 2021, a rival clash between two groups at the complex went violent and the shop was set alight. To avert a similar occurrence, NUJ said it ordered the thugs to vacate the complex. However, they reportedly returned to the complex today to renovate the shop.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the incident, the secretary of the union, Ibrahim Ahmad Gada, called on the security agencies to protect the lives and property of journalists adding that the lives of journalists working in the state are seriously in danger.
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“If an armed thug can threaten to kill working Journalists, what do you expect? The safety of all working journalists must be guaranteed. “We are calling on all the stakeholders to intervene. How can a thug dictate the way we can use our property in the state,” Gada queried.
Earlier, the Zamfara State government ordered Yusuf Kolo, the commissioner of police in the state to arrest journalists who attended a political event organised by his contender for the 2023 gubernatorial election. This was after, some broadcast stations were shut in the state.
Mohammed Shehu, the spokesman for Zamfara Police Command could not be reached at press time for his comments.
