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To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), [email protected] [2]

Media Release
21 November 2002

IFJ Calls for Dialogue and End to Violence As Two Nigerian Newspapers are
Attacked

THE International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest journalists
' group today condemned rioters who attacked the daily newspaper This Day in
the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna. The IFJ also condemned a bomb attack
on the weekly newspaper National Pilot in a separate incident.

Journalists at National Pilot accused government supporters of the
explosion, which caused a roof collapse injuring five workers on November
15. They said it was in retaliation over an anti-corruption report
concerning a local governor.

In the second incident, rioters burned down the newspaper office on 20
November over a provocative article concerning Muslim protests and the Miss
World beauty pageant being hosted by Nigeria.

"Controversy over journalism that touches sensitive issues requires dialogue
not violence to find solutions," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. He
said that people who have complaints about what newspapers were reporting
should seek to engage in talks with editorial chiefs.

In particular, he said that leaders of the Muslim community should meet to
talk through differences. The local editorial and circulations office of
This Day were destroyed by a mob of angry Muslim demonstrators according to
police and newspaper sources. Nobody was in the building when it was
attacked.

Newspaper staff are under police protection while hundreds of heavily armed
security forces have been deployed to protect the national paper's offices
in Kaduna and other cities in Nigeria.

The offending article, published on 16 November under the title "The World
at Their Feet," questioned why some Muslim groups condemn the pageant,
scheduled for 8 December in the capital of Abuja, on the grounds it promotes
sexual promiscuity and indecency. Muslims were offended by a suggestion in
the article that the Prophet Muhammad might have chosen a wife from among
the 60 contestants, whose photographs and profiles were featured in the
paper.

On 18 November, This Day carried a brief front page editor's note
apologizing for "portions that may be considered offensive to ... our Muslim
brothers." It said the material had been "published in error after being
removed by the supervising editor."

The bomb attack and the action of rioters suggest that the crisis fro press
freedom in Nigeria is intensifying," said Aidan White "It's time for people
to cool down and start talking through these issues before more tragedies
occur."

Further information: + 32 2 235 22 00
The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility
of IFJ**