PLATEAU: DEATH THREAT TO, MR. OSAMA AKPUNONU, MR. OGIDIGBOIGBO, OTHER JOURNALISTS: HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS REACT, CALL ON SECURITY AGENCIES TO ACT NOW

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

Human Rights Organizations (HROs) have risen to an alarm raised recently that, Death Threat Messages are been sent to Media Executives, Practicing Journalists and On-Air-Personalities (OAPs) in Plateau State.

They have called on the Security outfits operating in the state and the State Government, to come clean and to the protection of these Journalists and Media Executives, who are merely doing their jobs and upholding their obligations as enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).

The Human Rights Organizations have also urged in their press statement on the issue made available to REALITY, the DSS and the Police  to boldly investigate the matter as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) would ordinarily do in order to bring the perpetrations to book in order to deter such threats in the future.

MR. OSAMA

You would recall that, the alarm recently raised concerns the Death Threat Messages sent to Mr. Osama Akpunonu and Mr. Ogidigboigbo  of Jayfm radio, who are both anchors of the popular Pigin-English Socio-political Programme, “Constituency Check” on Jayfm Radio and Journalist Okandi Odey, (a renowned radio Analyst and Political Commentator).

MR. OGIDIGBOIGBO

In an interview with REALITY on the matter, Steve Aluko Daniel, a Director with the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), has urged the security outfits operating in the state to take these threats as a major priority since it has a huge effect on the constitutional performance of the AOPs, the Media Executives and the Journalists.

He also questioned why the State Government has not risen to the occasion since when the issues was made public.

According to him, “Human Rights Organization would not sit and fold their hands, while there are potential bad plans against the lives of needed people in the society for mere political reason(s), while they make efforts to challenge and checkmate the services the State Government and other Elected Personalities render to the people in order to report their findings to the masses as the Constitution directs”.