The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned in the strongest terms possible
the killing of Enenche AKogwu, a reporter with Channels Television station, who
was gunned down in Kano, Nothern Nigeria, on Friday, 20 January,
2012.
According to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), an affiliate
of the IFJ, Enenche, died from gunshot wounds sustained during an exchange of
gunfire between the police and members of the Boko Haram sect around the Farm
House of Kano metropolis, while covering the sect's onslaught on the
city.
"We condemn this latest killing which shows that journalists in
Nigeria need adequate protection in the face of increasing risks," said Gabriel
Baglo, IFJ Africa Director. "Our Nigerian colleagues have been confronted with a
wave of brutal killings over the past few years, while the perpetrators of these
heinous crimes remain at large. This environment has played in the hands of
those who wish to silence media."
Three months ago, Zakariya Isa, another
journalist from Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in Maiduguri, was shot and
killed in front of his house by members of the Boka Haram Sect.
The IFJ
reiterates it stance that violence against journalists should not be tolerated
and calls on the Nigerian Federal Government to redouble its efforts in ensuring
public order and make every effort to punish crime, including violence targeting
journalists.
"The Nigerian Government must take the safety and
protection of journalists seriously," added Baglo. "It is important to create a
safe environment which allows the media to work independently and play its
important role in the consolidation of democratic governance. Anything short of
this will be considered as a deliberate omission on the side of the
authorities."
For more information contact the IFJ at +221 33 867 95 86/87
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 131 countries