 calls for the suspension and investigation of a Divisional Police Officer accused of leading a violent attack on a staff of Albarka){kind=link}
By Kamal Ibrahim, Bauchi
Outrage has trailed the brutal assault of a Bauchi-based journalist as the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) calls for the suspension and investigation of a Divisional Police Officer accused of leading a violent attack on a staff of Albarka Radio Bauchi, Mohammed Adamu.
The CJID said this in a statement on Tuesday signed by its deputy director journalism programme, Busola Ajibola and posted on the official Facebook Page of the center.
The victim, Mohammed, was attacked while on official assignment covering a Salah Durbar event in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The incident began when Adamu was stopped by a police constable at the Local Government Secretariat despite properly identifying himself as a journalist and presenting his credentials. What followed, the CJID said, was a shocking descent into violence.
The Divisional Police Officer of Bununu Division, Jamilu Kabir, allegedly escalated the confrontation, physically pushing the journalist and ordering officers to “deal” with him. Eyewitness accounts indicate that about ten officers descended on Adamu, beating him with sticks and leaving him with a severe head injury.
In what CJID described as “inhumane and degrading,” the police reportedly took the bleeding journalist to a hospital only to abandon him, forcing him to pay his own medical bills.
CJID urged the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to immediately suspend the DPO and all officers involved to prevent interference with the investigation.
The organisation further demanded a thorough and transparent probe, compensation for Adamu’s medical expenses, and a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force.
It also called on the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, to guarantee the safety of journalists and uphold press freedom in the state.
“This is a barbaric reminder of impunity that has no place in a democratic society,” CJID said in the statement, stressing that attacks on journalists undermine the very foundation of democracy.
The CJID also raised concerns over the transparency of the investigation announced by the police, noting that Adamu had yet to be formally invited to give his statement, even as the accused officers remain on duty.
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