The Osun State Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Thursday directed its members to put coverage of activities of the Osun State Command on hold, following an unremorseful statement by the Command over the shooting of The Nation newspaper Correspondent, Toba Adedeji.
The union, in a statement by the Chairman of the Union, Comrade Wasiu Ajadosu and Secretary, Comrade Bukola Elufadejin, also called for immediate redeployment of the State Police Commissioner, Mr Wale Olokode.
The statement posited that the body could no longer condole gross indiscipline of men and officers of the command under the supervision of the State Commissioner of Police, who under his watch not less than four lawful citizens of the state had been allegedly killed by officers of the Command in the last three months.
They further condemned the impenitent statement made by the Command, saying the import of the statement did not indicate any regret over the barbaric act.
According to the union, the Command’s statement was not better than a threat to journalists in the State and failed to mention that the policeman who shot Toba Adedeji would be identified, arrested and prosecuted, meaning that since Toba is hale and hearty the officer no longer committed any crime.
The statement noted that the Union would not rest on its laurel until justice is served in Toba Adedeji’s case and maintained its stance over the immediate redeployment of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode.
The statement, however, called on journalists in the state to remain resolute as the Union would do everything that is constitutionally possible to seek justice for the affected journalist.
It will be recalled that Toba Adedeji, a journalist with The Nation newspapers in Osun State and two other kindergarten school children were on Tuesday shot by armed police officers from the Osun State Police command.
The incident happened at Olaiya junction in Osogbo, while journalists in the state were trying to cover a protest organized by aggrieved youths mainly students who were expressing their anger on one of them, Abiola Afolabi who was earlier killed by the state police command officers, saw the overzealous police officers shot direct live bullets on the affected journalist in the leg.
Before the incident, the protesters who were drenched with tears and wore a mournful look said to be returning from the burial ground of the deceased and had a stopover at the venue of the incident to continue mourning the departed soul before the police officers attacked them while on peaceful protest.
The police officers who went berserk on the day of the incident also descended on innocent harmless citizens in the state and gave some of them a hot chase while many were molested after being brutalised.
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