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Tag: IPC

  • IPC condemns attack on Osun NUJ officials

    The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has condemned the attack on the Secretary of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, and other journalists, on Monday.

    Reports have it that “suspected hoodlums attacked journalists at a news conference addressed by members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “The Secretary of NUJ, Osun State Council, Mr. Bamigbola Boladale, was not spared in the ugly incident, as he was beaten up by thugs, who tore his clothes.”

    IPC Director Lanre Arogundade, in a statement, described the attack as unacceptable.

    He said: “This kind of act is not acceptable from any individual or group because journalists are not to be treated as animals. They deserve the right to perform their duties without fear or intimidation.

    “IPC demands that the Police commissioner should probe this assault and take action, while the culprits should be made to face the consequences of their actions.”

    Arogundade advised journalists to ensure they are well guided.

    He sought assurance of their safety in covering factional crisis of parties.

     

  • IPC seeks probe of reporter’s shooting

    The International Press Centre has called for a thorough police investigation into the shooting of Africa Independent Television (AIT) reporter  Owei Patience at the weekend.

    Miss Owei was attacked by gunmen while returning from a church service. She was shot at close range and dispossessed of her mobile phones, cash and other valuables.

    IPC Director Lanre Arogundade in a statement described the attack as a great concern to the Nigerian media and its stakeholders.

    He said: “It is unfortunate that we almost lost one of our own in the media to gunmen. This again points to the security lapses in the Nigerian society which calls for a serious concern and thorough investigations by the Nigerian Police.

    IPC urged Commissioner of Police Bayelsa state to immediately investigate this attack as it is not the first of its kind. The culprits involved should be made to face the law.

    IPC also appreciates the efforts being made by the Bayelsa state government to take up the medical bill of Owei’s treatment in the hospital.

     

  • Journalists’ Day: IPC demands justice for 14 victims

    Journalists’ Day: IPC demands justice for 14 victims

    The International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos has called for justice for all journalists who have been attacked in the course of their work.

    It wants perpetrators to be diligently prosecuted after a thorough investigation.

    IPC made the call yesterday as journalists and other media professionals marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

    IPC said it was unfortunate that Nigeria continues to rank high among countries where press freedom and freedom of expression were under threat.

    It said the database of its Safety Alert Desk reveals not less than 14 incidents of assault, threat, battery, arrest, kidnap, killing and invasion involving journalists and media institutions in the last one year.

    IPC, in a statement by its Programme Assistant/Safety Desk Officer Melody Akinjiyan, identified journalists and organisations who were either attacked by security agents or killed by unknown persons.

    Famous Giobaro of Bayelsa State-owned Glory FM 97.1 was shot dead by suspected hired assassins on April 16.

    Publisher of the People’s Leader Samuel Nweze was shot by gunmen in front of his office in Abakaliki on June 2.

    Lawrence Okojie of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Benin was shot dead by gunmen at 8pm while returning from work on July 8.

    Charles Otu of the Conscience Newspaper was beaten to stupor with dangerous weapons and later abducted by suspected political thugs in Abakaliki on June 2.

    Premium Times publisher Dapo Olorunyomi and Judiciary correspondent Evelyn Okakwu were arrested by armed policemen on the night of January 19, while their Abuja office  was invaded by armed policemen.

    Godwin Aliuna of National Mirror, Ebonyi State, was attacked by alleged armed robbers in his residence on February 22.

    Amadin Uyi of Silverbird Television, Abuja was brutalised by police officers during a protest by Ourmumudondo Group at Unity Fountain in Abuja on August 8.

    Segun Salami of the Channels Television, Kogi, was battered at the State House detention centre by security personnel attached on August 28.

    Wale Odunsi, an editor with Daily Post (online publication) was reportedly attacked by security men at the Kogi State Government House on October 11.

    Ikechukwu Ibe of the Daily Trust was allegedly brutalised by an Army captain at Jabi area of Abuja on October 26.

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Abia State was invaded by soldiers of Operation Python Dance September 12 during which some journalists were assaulted.

    IPC said others who deserve justice include Jerry Edoho of Ibom Nation in Akwa Ibom State, who was picked up in Uyo by police personnel from the Force headquarters in Abuja on January 6.

    The Centre sought justice for Nsebiet John of The Ink in Akwa-Ibom, who was detained for a night in police cell, arraigned and granted bail for N250,000 on January 6.

    IPC Director Mr. Lanre Arogundade said the attacks were unwelcome developments deserving the attention of media stakeholders.

    ”We attach the highest priority to the safety of journalists and other media actors. We oppose any action, legislation, regulation or political pressure that limits freedom of the press.

    “Acts of intimidation and violence against journalists in Nigeria have to end for democracy to survive. Attacks against media institutions and journalists are attacks against democratic rights including the right of the public to know the truth about the way they are governed,” Arogundade said.

    He urged the Police to disclose what has been done so far towards unraveling the mystery behind those killed.

    He also called on journalists and other media professionals to take their safety more seriously by keeping abreast with various safety tips, especially for those covering dangerous assignments.

  • IPC launches Journalists’ Internet Rights Initiative

    THE International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos has launched the “The Nigerian Journalists Internet Rights Initiative (NJIRI)”.

    It is in commemoration of the “International Day for Universal Access to Information” (IDUAI).

    Director of IPC Mr. Lanre Arogundade said the objectives of the NJIRI would be to defend Internet and digital rights and safety of journalists online.

    Arogundade explained that the one-year campaign will advance the right of freedom of expression for online journalists in Nigeria based on the premise that internet spaces and online platforms should be safe and free of institutional limitations for journalists and other media practitioners to use for information and engagement.

    He added that it was imperative to demand for the safety of journalists online on the occasion of the #AccessToInfoDay given the worrisome trend of indiscriminate attacks on journalists, bloggers and others.

     

  • NPAN, editors, IPC slam EFCC raid on The Sun

    The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos-Nigeria have condemned the invasion of the premises of The Sun Publishing Limited by heavily armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the early hours of Monday.

    The fierce-looking operatives prevented workers of the organisation from either entering or leaving its premises and, in the process, disrupted the circulation processes.

    In separate statements, NPAN, NGE and IPC said they received the news of the invasion with grave concern.

    NPAN President Nduka Obaigbena’s statement reads: “Facts before the NPAN indicate that the EFCC operatives swooped on the newspaper in the early morning of June 12,  while Nigerians were commemorating the historic day of free expression, and  ordered  security men to take them on a guided tour of the premises of the newspaper.

    “The EFCC operatives subsequently prevented journalists and staff from performing their constitutional duties, and abridging their rights to free speech by preventing those who were in the premises from leaving, and others reporting for duty from entering the premises.

    “Although the EFCC  said they were there to enforce a 10-year old Interim Order of Forfeiture on the shareholding of Sun Newspapers, the editors of the Sun Newspapers said the EFCC officials were there on a vengeance and intimidation mission to settle scores on several stories published by the newspaper, including the alleged ownership of certain properties by the wife of the EFCC Acting Chairman for which the Acting  Chairman had threatened libel lawsuits.

    “Instead of lawsuits,  the EFCC operatives raided the newspaper offices to revive a 10-year old  Interim Order of Forfeiture that is already before an appellate court.

    “Given these developments, it is our considered view that the EFCC, being a state institution and a creation of the law, cannot be above the law: and the manner of the invasion tends to suggest that the EFCC was out on a self-help mission, a voyage to intimidate journalists, criminalise journalism  and cower free speech.

    “We should continue to remind ourselves that this crude tactics of invasion of  media houses and harassment of journalists did not work in the past,  is not going to work now, and will never work. It is unknown to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and all people of reason  and goodwill to call the EFCC to order for the greater good of the Federal Republic Nigeria and the rule of law.”

    NGE President Funke Egbèmode, in a statement, said the unwarranted siege to the company subjected workers to crude intimidation, psychological and emotional trauma.

    The EFCC, she added, had accused The Sun of publishing pro-Biafra, Boko Haram and Niger Delta militant stories.

    The statement reads: “The latest action of the EFCC on a newspaper house is a sad reminder of the dark years of military dictatorship and a deliberate effort to muzzle the press.

    “As a statutory agency birthed by an Act of Parliament in a democracy, we had expected the EFCC to explore civil means of addressing perceived infraction by a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian

    democratic project.

    “Rather than see the Fourth Estate of the Realm as an opposition, the commission should realise that the media is an indispensable partner in its fight against corruption.

    “The Guild notes that the latest affront on The Sun by operatives of the EFCC is one in a number of targeted attempts by a section of the nation’s security agency to gag free press. We recall the recent expulsion of Mr. Olalekan Adetayo, the State House correspondent of Punch Newspapers from Aso Rock by Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    It added: “The alleged forfeiture order the EFCC brandished is 10 years old and a matter still before the Court of Appeal. The Guild wonders why the commission felt it had to act ahead of a case before a court of competent jurisdiction. It bears restating that such an attempt to intimidate the media does incalculable damage to the image of the EFCC and indeed the Nigerian government. Besides, it does not only undermine the foundation of our young democracy, it is a major threat to its sustenance and existence.

    “The Guild condemns the EFCC action in its entirety and calls on the commission to purge itself of all anti-democratic tendencies in order to foster mutual cooperation with the media and other stakeholders in its crusade against graft.”.

    The IPC described the invasion as a violation of the individual rights of the journalists and media workers, besides constituting an assault on press freedom.

    Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, in a statement, said the act was uncalled for.

    According to him, it was a twist of irony that the invasion occurred on June 12, a day traditionally associated with the vanguard role that the media played in  the struggle for democracy in Nigeria.

    Arogundade said: “The EFCC owed the nation as a whole and the media and freedom of expression community in particular, an explanation for the unwelcome raid.”

  • IPC seeks justice for Dele Giwa

    IPC seeks justice for Dele Giwa

    THE International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has called for justice on the murder of Dele Giwa, 30 years ago.

    Giwa, the founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch, was assassinated through a letter bomb on October 19, 1986.

    IPC Director Lanre Arogundade, in a statement, described the killing of Giwa as the most drastic act of intimidation of the press in Nigeria.

    “The death of Dele Giwa has shown just how journalists could be endangered. Many others have been killed, and we must not relent in the pursuit of justice for them and the safety of journalists in Nigeria.

    “IPC, therefore, uses the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the murder of Dele Giwa to plead to the Buhari administration to reopen the case, as justice is an important element of development,” Arogundade said.

  • Russia lose Paralympics ban appeal

    Russia lose Paralympics ban appeal

    Russia will not compete at next month’s Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after losing an appeal against a ban imposed for state-sponsored doping.

    The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) ban on all Russian competitors, the BBC reports.

    The IPC made the decision in light of the McLaren report, which detailed a state-sponsored doping programme operated by Russia.

    The Paralympics begin on September 7.

    The IPC’s decision to ban the entire Russian team “was proportionate in the circumstances,” according to the CAS panel, which said it would publish the full grounds for its decision later.

    It added that the Russian Paralympic Committee did not file any evidence contradicting the facts put forward by the IPC.

    The IPC’s decision is in contrast to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which chose not to hand Russia a blanket ban from the Olympic Games.

    The IOC was widely criticised for ignoring the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommendation to ban Russia.

    Instead, each individual sporting federation was given the power to decide if Russian competitors were allowed to compete. A three-person IOC panel then had the final say.

    In the end, more than 270 Russian athletes were cleared to compete at the Olympics, with Russia winning 56 medals in total and finishing in fourth place in the medal table.

  • IPC condemns arrest of Journalist

    IPC condemns arrest of Journalist

    The International Press Center, IPC Lagos has described as condemnable the arrest and the continued detention of a Lagos-based Cameroonian journalist, Simon Ateba, by Cameroonian authorities since Friday August 28.2015.

    The journalist was said to have been arrested when he was investigating the conditions of Nigerian refugees camped in the country’s’ far north

    Director IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement Monday noted that there is nothing wrong if a journalist investigates the ordeals and suffering of Nigerians who fled into Cameroon as their communities came under sustained attacks from the extremist Boko Haram sect.

    “However if the authorities feel he has contravened the laws of the country he should therefore be charged to court or otherwise be released immediately,” he added

    The director IPC demanded that the Cameroonian authorities should ensure his safety is guaranteed while in their custody.

  • APC, IPC condemn attack on The Punch reporter

    APC, IPC condemn attack on The Punch reporter

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has condemned the attack on t The Punch correspondent, Kamardeen Ogundele.

    Thugs suspected to be working for Governor Ayodele Fayose attacked Ogundele on Secretariat Road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    He was attempting to take pictures of a group of women, who had gathered on the road, leading to the House of Assembly complex.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement, said the incident was shameful and unlawful.

    “We have on various occasions raised the alarm over Fayose’s intolerance to anything or anybody who does not carry his stamp of approval. It is unfortunate that anyone who does not carry the PDP flag is the enemy of the government.

    “What is the offence of an innocent journalist doing his legitimate duty? If the thugs do not want to be photographed, the least they can do is to stay away from the camera.

    “But to resort to attacking an innocent journalist is the height of irresponsibility, which unfortunately is the hallmark of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s administration.

    “This assault is a continuation of a reign of terror that the governor began in the run up to the June 21, last year, election when he used his thugs to attack political opponents across the state.

    “The governor should spare Ekiti people all the negative publicity he is presenting to the world about our people.  The judiciary and legislative arms are under the jackboot of Fayose who now wants to add the media to his list of conquests,” he said.

    Also, the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has condemned the spate of attacks on journalists across the country.

    IPC Director Lanre Arogundade said in a statement that at least three journalists have been assaulted in the last one week.

    “Hir Joseph of Daily Trust was beaten by political thugs during the swearing-in ceremony of Governor Tanko Almakura in Lafia, Nasarawa State on May 29; Ogundele of The Punch was beaten by political thugs in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State on June 3 and Victor Akinkuolie of Hope was beaten by policemen in Ondo, Ondo State on June 2.

    “The assault on the journalists was so violent that they had to be hospitalised. These incidents should be condemned by all lovers of freedom of expression and democracy.

  • IPC director urges media to uphold professional ethics

    IPC director urges media to uphold professional ethics

    THE Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Abuja, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, has advised journalists to uphold the media code of ethics to earn respect and relevance in the society.

    Arogundade said this in a statement in Abuja as part of activities to mark the World Press Freedom Day.

    He enjoined media professionals and organisations to constantly adhere to their code.

    “Media organisations must realise that whatever the circumstances, it pays to keep to faith with professionalism and ethics.

    “Those who operate strictly on media code of ethics will reap the profit in the long run.

    “Those who ignore ethics will smile to the banks today, but possibly come out of the banks crying tomorrow,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Arogundade as saying.

    He called on journalists and media organisations to always work for the reduction of conflict and promote peace without compromising themselves in their duty to inform.

    On the general elections, Arogundade expressed concern that significant areas of non-compliance with the code of ethics overshadowed the few areas of compliance in the media coverage.

    “There are major challenges with the implementation and enforcement of the code.

    “The monitoring and the enforcement mechanisms were virtually non-existent,” he said.

    Besides, the director called on media regulators and professional bodies to be alive to their responsibilities by monitoring and sanctioning members on adherence to ethics of journalism and broadcasting.