TheCable

Some journalists, including Ibrahim Alege, correspondent of Television Continental (TVC) in Osun state, were attacked at Baptist High School, Iwo, collation center of the Osun west senatorial by-election.

Alege said the attackers, who smashed the glass of the vehicle that conveyed the journalists, threatened to lynch them.

“We got to Baptist High School, Iwo, the collation centre at about half past seven this evening. We saw a multitude of young men and a handful of young ladies too. They stopped every vehicle that wanted to pass in front of the venue of the collation,” he said.

“Our vehicle was stopped. They demanded to check our vehicles (without being security operatives). We had to oblige because of the multitude. I asked my cameraman to open the boot for them and they ransacked our vehicle, not only once but twice by two sets of these violent youths.

“We made our way to the gate and another set insisted we would not enter the collation centre. Another journalist that also made an attempt to enter the gate was manhandled by the mob. They became violent and said they would not allow anybody to enter.

“They started shouting ole, ole, ole, (thief) and banged the vehicle. Sensing danger, I reversed and manoeuvred the vehicle. Some of these youth ran after us but we escaped.”

Boladale Bamigbola, state secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun state council, condemned the attack.

He described the attack as “barbaric and reprehensible”, wondering why reporters who were covering the election were the target.

“So after toiling all day to gather and process report on the poll, how these men would be paid back is by attacking them?” he asked.

“What kind of society is this fails to accord those putting their lives on the line respect and honour due to them? As a body we condemn this and hope this kind of act would never be repeated.”

The correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalist in Osun has condemned the attack and called on Fimihan Adeoye, commissioner of police in the state, to ensure that those that attacked the journalists are brought to book.

Hameed oyegbade, chairman of the correspondent chapel, said the attack was unwarranted.

He lamented that the journalists who sacrifice their time and energy to cover and report the election should not have been subjected to such treatment.