Law enforcement agencies have been urged to beef up their operations; to guarantee safety of journalists before, during and after the forthcoming general elections in the country.
The plea is coming as media reports show that no fewer than two hundred and fifty journalists were brutally molested or injured during the 2019 general elections.
The Executive Director, International Press Council of Nigeria, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade made the appeal at a Stakeholders’ Roundtable on Monitoring Report of Media Coverage of 2023 Elections and Revised Nigeria Media Code of Election Coverage in Abuja.
He said there is need for proactiveness amongst stakeholders to avoid a repeat of such ugly incidents, calling on security operatives designated for election duties to respect the identification of accredited journalists.
According to him, journalists get attacked while covering campaign activities, and in 2019, they got molested by even security operatives; in spite of being accredited for election duties.
Insisting that their safety matters, Arogundade further enjoined political parties and the government to synergize in order to see that journalists are protected.
He stated that the International Press Council, which has been in the forefront of ensuring accuracy and objectivity in election reportage from inception, has mapped out plans to reward media organizations who are committed to boosting credible elections and gender mainstreaming.
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