Police Assault Journalist in Ondo Town, NUJ Keeps Mum

THE INGLORIOUS era of military rule re-echoed recently as two police officers attached to Funbi-Fagun Police station in Ondo town last Tuesday harassed and beat up Mr. Victor Akinkuolie, a reporter with "The Hope" Newspaper who was at the police station to investigate a story concerning a pastor who was alleged to have had canal knowledge of his daughter in Ondo town. 

IGP MD Abubakar

The reporter who was on the visit to the station in company of the correspondent of Nigerian Compass in Ondo town, Mr. Abayomi Daramola, was in the office with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the station, Mrs. Joyce Maiyaki Mathew when he felt pressed and took excuse from her  that he wanted to go out to ease himself.

He went out of the police station to a place opposite it where he was about opening his trouser in an attempt  at urinating  when a woman in mufti accosted him and asked what he was trying to do there.

While attempting to answer her even without disclosing her identity she raised her hand and slapped him two times on the face on the grounds that the answer given to her was too insulting.

While the scene was unfolding, other policemen at the station came out  and joined her without asking any question and  started  raising blows on him and destroyed his leather belt,  a development in which  he was left with no other option than to hold his trouser which  was falling off with his two hands.

Member of the public and other passersby, who witnessed the police brutality raised alarm which probably attracted the DPO who later came out of her office.

All effort  by her to bring the  officers who assaulted the Journalist  to order fell on deaf ears as they refused to acknowledge her presence while they continue to shout on top of their voices. The officers who show no sign of remorse further boasted and told the Journalist to go anywhere and report the matter.

As at the time of filling this report no action has been taken to investigate the attack on the journalist by the leadership of Nigerian Union of Journalists while Akinkuolie who experienced severe  pain after the assault by the  policemen had gone to the hospital for medical attention.