IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - NIGERIA

16 December 2003

Journalists' union protests intimidation and harassment by police

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media freedom
and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org and
www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

On 11 December 2003, the Taraba state chapter of the Nigerian Union of
Journalists (NUJ) accused Police Commissioner Egbechukwu Nwachukwu of
masterminding a campaign to intimidate and harass journalists in the state.

According to MFWA-Nigeria, a statement signed by the local union secretary, Pojo
Nafinji, complained that, following a series of uncomplimentary media reports
about the police commissioner, Nwachukwu publicly threatened to "get even" with
journalists who "might be involved in any matter brought before the police."
Subsequently, when a journalist with "The News" magazine reported a traffic
incident to the police, the commissioner ordered that the complainant be charged
and brought before the court. The magazine's Tabara state reporter, Ben Adeji,
has also recently been detained twice by police.

The NUJ has directed its members to boycott all activities by the state police.
The union has also appealed to the police inspector general to remove
Commissioner Nwachukwu from the state.

For further information, contact Zoé Titus, Program Coordinator, Media Freedom
Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing Address;
Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax: +264 61 248 016,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.misa.org, or Kwame Karikari,
Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, P. O. Box LG 730, Legon,
Ghana, tel: +233 21 24 24 70, fax: +233 21 22 10 84, e-mail:
[email protected], Internet: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA. In
citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
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