A civil society group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned the operatives of the Osun State Police Command who, on Tuesday, shot The Nation Newspapers’ Correspondent, Toba Adedeji, for reportedly covering students’ protest at Orita Olaiya.

HURIWA described the action of the Police in Osun State as an act of misplaced aggression and terrorism directed against the media.

The pro-democracy group said it is regrettable that the Nigeria Police Force has not learnt any positive lessons from the nation-wide #ENDSARS protests last year in which millions of Nigerians demonstrated against Police brutality, aggression and gross human rights violations.

The group lamented that due to the ineffective leadership of the Police Service Commission, there was a steady spike in cases of professional misconduct and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise the hierarchy of the Police Service Commission, given that the current leadership has become lethargic and unproductive.

HURIWA, in the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said it was simply an act of terrorism against media freedoms for the men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force maintained at public costs to turn their guns against media workers whose profession revolves around bringing information about the activities of government that affect the living conditions of the citizens and also monitor how the government officials were delivering on their mandates, would now be subjected to horrendous act of terrorism by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.

HURIWA said the reason why the police operatives have continued to torture and kill journalists was because the cases that have happened in recent times were swept under the carpet, just as the group said the Police authority was much more concerned about covering up the evil practices of their operatives than ensuring that those who go against the law were sternly reprimanded and sanctioned in line with the due process of the law.

It said that it was incumbent on the citizens of Nigeria to resist any attempt by security forces to undermine the enjoyment of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights and must, at every time, resist the attempt to frustrate the job of the members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm whose responsibilities were protected under Section 22 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes the media the conscience of the nation and the Vanguard of good governance.

HURIWA said the moment the media becomes too scared to monitor the activities of government, and then democracy would die a natural death.

The group blamed the widespread Police impunity and lawlessness to the absence of professionalism and discipline amongst the ranks and file.

It therefore tasked the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba, to ensure that police operatives comply with the Nigerian Police Act of 2020 which obliges them to adhere strictly to the due process of the law, respect fundamental human rights of the citizens and to operate within the guidelines that obliges the them (operatives) to adhere to best global practices. HURIWA has also called for the arrest and prosecution of the police operatives that shot at the journalist.

“HURIWA has therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate this act of unprovoked attack against the Correspondent of The Nation Newspaper in Osun State and to pay adequate compensation,” the statement added.

The group also urged the journalist who is the victim of the Police aggression and attempt on his life to seek legal redress and demand appropriate compensation from the Nigeria Police Force.

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