LAGOS State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has condemned the attack on journalists that covered the visit of presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu to the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, on Sunday.
The ICIR gathered that the incident which left journalists injured occurred between Ebute-Ero and Adeniji, Iga-Iduganran.
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Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement released on Monday, said Sanwo-Olu has directed relevant security agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
The governor also promised to foot the medical bills of the injured journalists, who are receiving treatment.
The statement read, “Lagos State Government condemns the incident. We hold the media in high esteem and the government has always ensured that they have a conducive environment to perform their duties.
“Nobody or group will be allowed to destroy our cordial relationship with the media. Lagos has no room for hooligans.
“Those involved must be fished out and made to face the law. Besides, the government will pick up the hospital bills of those injured in the incident.”
Also on Monday, the governor paid an unscheduled visit to the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre at the state government secretariat in Alausa to sympathize with journalists.
“Your job is risky, very risky but don’t be deterred by the hazards of the job. You must have the courage to persevere,” Sanwo-Olu told the newsmen at the press centre, according to the statement.
The ICIR also reported that the International Press Centre (IPC) condemned the attack on journalists in Lagos.
IPC asked the police and the Lagos State government to bring the perpetrators to book to serve as deterrent to those who may be planning similar attacks on journalists in the countdown to the 2023 elections.
The Centre also decried the arrest and detention of Jeremiah Omoniyi, a campus journalist who was deployed by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to cover the Ekiti State governorship poll.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M