ABDUCTED Channels Television’s reporter, Joshua Rogers, has regained freedom barely 24 hours after he was kidnapped.
He was said to have been released around 10pm on Friday.
Rogers was kidnapped near his residence at Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, April 11.
Rogers, who covers the Rivers State Government House for his organisation, was said to have been trailed after he closed from work to his residence.
The criminals intercepted him and forcefully took him away in a Channels Television-branded vehicle.
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After the abduction, the Nigerian Union of Journalists reported that the abductors contacted his wife, demanding a ransom of N30 million for his release
“The NUJ is deeply concerned about the escalating insecurity faced by journalists and media practitioners in the country.
“It is distressing that individuals involved in the vital work of informing the public have become targets of criminal activities.
“The NUJ hereby appeals to the Government of Rivers State and relevant security agencies to prioritise efforts towards securing the safe and immediate release of Rogers,” the NUJ President, Chris Iziguzo, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Meanwhile, confirming his release, the management of Channels Television appreciated the support of Nigerians.
“Channels Television reporter Joshua Rogers, who was abducted last night in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been freed.
“We thank our viewers and all those who expressed concern over the unfortunate incident,” the organisation said.
The attack on Rogers was not the first on Channel’s TV journalists. It was also an addition to attacks on media practice in Nigeria.
In 2019, a Channel’s TV reporter, Friday Okeregbe, was abducted in Abuja and was later released.
Attacks on journalists come too often in Nigeria. In 2023 alone, at least 39 journalists were harassed by state and non-state actors, with about half of the incidents occurring during the 2023 general elections held between February and March.
One such attack was on the Niger state correspondent of Aljazeera newspapers, Samson Alfa, who raised an alarm over threats to his life following his discovery of a facility suspected to have been used for rigging the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He said he had been receiving death threats via calls from politicians warning him to stay away from the story.
Also, a freelance photojournalist, Ben Uwalaka, who reports for Daily Trust Newspaper, was attacked by a Police officer in Lagos while covering a protest by aviation workers in April 2023.
The officer injured Uwalaka on the hand and broke his camera’s screen, preventing its lens from re-attaching.
In May 2023, Nigeria dropped to 129th place from 120th on the global press freedom ranking index out of 180 countries ranked.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M