Hostility To The Media In Kaduna: Adekeye Orders Journalist Bundled Out Of Gov’s Presence By Police
The Oasis Reporters
April 30, 2019
Images credit: Muyiwa Adekeye.
Collage credit: The Oasis Reporters.
By Mike Odeh James, Kaduna
What Mordecai Sunday Ibrahim, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of New Impression magazine experienced last Sunday, seemed a slice of unbridled hatred towards the media and press freedom in Kaduna State.
He had gone to St.Gerald’s Hospital Kakuri to cover the visit of the State Governor, Mallam Ahmad Nasir El Rufai and to report on the victims of the Kasuwan Magani crisis.
Mr. Mordecai Ibrahim proceeded to the private ward where the Governor was consoling victims of the crisis so as to take some photographs of the victims alongside the Governor but met a very busy and crowded ward. He then waited till the condition became conducive .
Trouble started when Muyiwa Adekeye, a Senior Adviser to the Governor on media and a journalist, recognized Mordecai Sunday Ibrahim and despite his tag identifying him, Adekeye shouted on the veteran journalist and then ordered the policemen attached to the Governor to remove the journalist from the ward.
The policemen not only shove the pen pusher out of the hospital but also prevented him from doing his job as a journalist.
Up till now, neither the State Governor nor any of his media aides have issued any statement or tendered any form of apology to Mr. Mordecai Ibrahim.
It would be recalled that Kaduna State Government has the record of being the highest prosecutor of journalists in Nigeria. .
This particular incident, has only helped to increase the tally of journalists being harassed at the instance of officials in the state government.
Read: Mordecai Ibrahim Sunday’s press release
STOP MUYIWA ADEKEYE’S OVERZEALOUS MADNESS NOW!
It is indeed absurd and unfortunate that, Muyiwa Adekeye, a supposedly experienced journalist who is the media aide to Governor Nasir el-Rufai will send a journalist away from covering the visit of his principal to victims of Kasuwan Magani crisis at St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, Kaduna.
I, Mordecai Sunday Ibrahim, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of New Impression magazine was at St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, Kaduna, to have first-hand information of victims of the recent Kasuwan Magani evacuated to St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, Kaduna, Army Hospital (MRS) at Kalanpanzin (Artillery) barracks and the JNI Hospital, Tudun Wada, all in Kaduna.
Shortly after arriving at St. Gerald Hospital, yesterday, Sunday, 28th April, Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai’s entourage also arrived at the hospital. I was at the entry point of the Accident and Emergency department when the governor and his team arrived and moved towards the private ward where the Kajuru Divisional Police Office (DPO) was admitted. I then followed from behind since I was a little bit far off.
With my New Impression press identity card boldly displayed, I walked into the private ward while the police and other security personnel saw me and allowed me into the ward.
When I got inside the ward, there was no space for me to snap the governor who was consoling the DPO. So I waited for Muyiwa Adekeye who was taking pictures with his handset to finish to allow me space to take my turn. When he finished, I pleaded with him to shift for me only for him to retort: “I know you; you are not supposed to be here. The governor is on private visit here.”
Muyiwa immediately directed the Police to escort me out of the ward. Consequently, I was shoved out of the private ward and prevented from performing my official job as a practicing journalist.
Given the present administration’s hostility to the media in the state since 2015, and my background, I knew the risk of resisting as I could be labelled a “security threat,” immediately shot, or manhandled. So, I quietly yielded to the madness.
That probably explains why most of my colleagues performing their jobs in Kaduna believe that El-Rufai’s administration can never be at peace with the media. It is Muyiwa, the Candido’s stock in trade, to paint all journalists operating in Kaduna State in bad light before the governor in an unabashed light and in patronising manner.
For citizens of Kaduna State, the obvious question is: how long shall this madness be allowed to continue? I will not be surprised if soon enough; journalists are beaten up by security personnel on the governor’s media aide’s directives. What a satanic democratic practice!
MORDECAI SUNDAY IBRAHIM
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
New Impression magazine’
