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From Musliudeen Adebayo
Some immigration officers have assaulted some journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Among the journalists that were assaulted are Seun Falomo, a cameraman with Galaxy Television.
The incident occurred on Friday, few minutes after Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) official was arrested and detained for apprehending an immigration personnel who violated traffic rules.
Sources disclosed that the immigration officers retaliated by arresting the OYRTMA official, stripping him naked, and locking him up at their Zone F headquarters on Old Ife Road in Ibadan.
But, in an attempt to cover up the incident, the officers then turned their aggression towards the journalists present to report the situation.
In the process, Falomo and others were assaulted and were threatened to be killed.
Some of the immigration officers attempted to seize Falomo’s camera which was resisted.
Falomo was pushed to the ground and threatened at gunpoint. He was saved by some of his colleagues and other members of the public.
Our correspondent reports that the incident is coming few days after some operatives of Department of State Service (DSS) assaulted a journalist in the state.
Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo state council, Comrade Ademola Babalola, described the incident as worrisome.
Babalola in a short statement issued on Friday, appealed to journalists to be mindful of overzealous security operatives.
He said, “I just read this now. It is getting more dreary especially coming exactly a week after one of us was battered by DSS.
“We are going to make our position known tomorrow morning. This is becoming worrisome colleagues. Let us be weary of these mad people, pls”.
However, all efforts made by DAILY POST to get a reaction from Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Oyo state command, Mr. Olufemi Adetunji proved to be abortive as at the time of filing this report on Saturday.
ENDS
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