MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned the alleged attack on Port Harcourt-based broadcast journalist, Precious Amadi, by members of Salvation Ministries Church in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
MRA Programme Officer, John Gbadamosi, in a statement on Monday, March 17, urged the Federal Government and law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and hold all those responsible accountable.
Amadi was allegedly brutalised and left unconscious by the church after posting a report on his Facebook timeline about a fire outbreak at the church’s premises on March 15.
In a video that surfaced online on Sunday, March 16, the journalist recounted the incident, stating that despite helping to contain the fire by assisting church members in evacuating flammable furniture and attempting to get the Rivers State Fire Service to contain the inferno without success, he was shocked when church members falsely accused him of spying.
“My only crime in the eyes of the overzealous members of Salvation Ministries was posting an SOS on Facebook, urging people to call the Rivers State Fire Service to help put out the fire,” Amadi said in the video.
He added, “Overzealous members of Salvation Ministries attacked me, and destroyed my two phones while being supervised by some junior pastors who kept calling me a spy.”
He stated that his two mobile phones were destroyed during the attack, leaving him with multiple injuries and that he was unlawfully detained for several hours.
The journalist further claimed that church members, without his consent, deleted his Facebook posts where he called for help and wiped the data on his phones in an attempt to erase evidence of the assault and his distress call.
The MRA condemned the alleged action by the church and described it as a “despicable act and a serious violation of media freedom and human rights.”
“Such acts of violence against a journalist are not only unacceptable but also constitute a direct attack on media freedom and the right to freedom of expression, which are fundamental pillars of any democratic society. No journalist should ever face intimidation, harassment, or physical harm for their reporting.” Gbadamosi said.
He added that the role of the media was to inform the public, and any attempt to silence journalists through violence constituted a grave violation of their rights.
While calling on the Federal Government and the relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident thoroughly and ensure that those responsible for the attack are identified and held accountable, he stressed that the safety and protection of journalists must be guaranteed at all times, and any attempt to stifle media freedom must be met with the full force of the law.
Gbadamosi also urged the leadership of Salvation Ministries to take immediate steps to address the situation by condemning the attack and assisting law enforcement agents to identify those responsible and ensuring justice is served.
The ICIR reports that Salvation Ministries confirmed the fire outbreak in a statement circulating on Facebook on March 15.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the church for a reaction proved abortive, as calls to the numbers on its letterhead did not go through, and SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to numbers were not responded to as of the time of filling this report.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.