Ozekhome Warns FG To Stop Harassing Journalists And Media Houses

Lawyer Wants Government To Encourage Journalists In Discharge Of Their Duty

A human rights activist and a constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome has warned the federal government against  unwarranted harassment of media practitioners.

Ozekhome, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the latest onslaught, assault and detention carried out by the government against Premium Times and veteran journalist, Ogundipe, and the Editor-In-Chief of Premium Times, Misikilu Mojeed, was condemnable.

The senior lawyer also said journalism is the only entity recognized by section 22 of the Nigerian constitution, to hold government accountable and responsible to the Nigerian people.

He said, “Premium Times is a well-known pro-masses online publication, and their ‘offence’ is that this same media house that had exposed the ricocheting and never ending NYSC certificate forgery saga of Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, also published a yet unrefuted skewed interim report by the Police, forwarded to acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, on the well deserved sacking of Lawal Daura, over his ignoble role in laying siege to the National Assembly.

“The Police has since abandoned its constitutional role under sections 214 and 215 of the constitution and section 4 of the Police Act, of protecting and defending the Nigerian people, in an aberrative preference for being an instrument of government tyranny, oppression, repression and arbitrary subjugation of the very people it was set up to protect and defend in the first place.”