Kolade Larewaju
22 September 2008
The Ogun State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has petitioned Governor Olugbenga Daniel over the alleged attack and assault on five journalists by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Bukola Olopade, asking him to guarantee the safety of journalists in the state.
The commissioner had penultimate Saturday allegedly attacked a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent from Abuja and Mr. Johnson Akinpelu, correspondent of the Alaroye newspaper after a match between Gateway Football Club and Warri Wolves.
In the petition signed by the Secretary of the union, Mr. Wole Shokunbi, the journalists accused Olopade of having a penchant for attacking and threatening journalists in the pursuit of their normal duties in the state.
The union specifically mentioned those attacked and threatened as Mr. Akeem Akintunde of the Gateway Television and Mr. Jaiye Andrews of the This Day Newspapers and Mr. Ademola Oni of The Punch.
"After a Premier League match at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, Mr. Olopade assaulted a journalist from News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who came to cover the Gateway United match from Abuja. But for the intervention of Ogun SWAN Chairman, the reporter escaped being beaten.
"Five minutes after the incident, a correspondent of Alaroye newspaper, Mr. Johnson Akinpelu, received several slaps from Mr. Bukola Olopade. The journalist was beaten to the point of coma for no just cause, and the commissioner even threatened bewildered journalists, who witnessed the show of shame, to eliminate them if they eventually write the story of the incident in their newspapers," said NUJ.
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