Editor: The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) is disturbed and condemns in its entirety the mindless, barbaric, irresponsible, irresponsive, crude, uncivilized action of the security agencies in assaulting the rights and dignity of the media without provocation.
Only recently, Nigerians sensibilities and dignity as responsible members of the human community were assaulted by the gestapo tactics of the Nigeria Police in assaulting the constitutional and fundamental rights of some senior journalists of the Leadership newspaper for exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression.
To compound matters, we at CPPM were disturbed but not shocked when in its usual style, the Presidency, which is supposaed to champion observance of regard for due process and rule of law in a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa came out shamelessly to justify this infraction of the law of the land by the Police and thus confirmed public insinuations of it being a co-conspirator in this national show of shame.
And recently, it was reported in some dailies on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 that some journalists were assaulted in the discharge of their constitutional duties by men and officers of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the Nigeria Police in Lagos, which is condemnable in all ramifications.
We are hereby calling on all lovers of peace and freedom wherever they are to stand up and condemn this barbaric assault on the fundamental and constitutional right of an institution, which is the voice and mouthpiece of the oppressed and voiceless.
We are hereby calling on the Lagos State Government and the State House of Assembly to immediately call the KAI agency to order by re-orientating them on the ethos of civility, which is a tenet of democracy and as well tender an unreserved apology to the journalists and the media as a whole.
We are equally calling on the Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar to immediately call his men to order to refrain from this usual unconstitutional assault on the legitimate rights of the media at the expense of their constitutional duties of securing lives and properties. The Police must equally tender an unreserved apology to the media for this national embarrassment, which is fast becoming a recurring decimal.
We also enjoin both the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police authorities to ensure that its men involved in this act are brought to justice so as to serve as a deterrent to others who might want to smear the image of the institution they represent.
Nelson Ekujumi,
Executive Chairman, CPPM.
