A human rights activist, Comrade Paul Ikechukwu Njoku, has berated the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, over his threats against some media outfits who recently released detailed documentaries where some notorious terror warlords were interviewed.
Recall that the Federal Government on Thursday vowed to punish the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Daily Trust over what it described as an unprofessional airing of different documentaries that glorified terrorists and capable of fuelling terrorism in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister stated the position of the government in Abuja, adding that the Federal Government has taken note of ‘’the unprofessional documentary by the BBC, Africa Eye, where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs, thereby promoting terror in the country’’.
Njoku, in a statement described Lai Mohammed as an incompetent Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is serving in a disastrous government causing murderous damages in the lives and property of the Nigerian people.
“The Honourable Minister of Information is no doubt an incompetent Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is serving in a disastrous government causing murderous damages in the lives and property of the Nigerian people and who utterly lacks the diligence to managing public discourse and information.
“He has unfortunately taken to his usual shameful vituperations and intimidation of the media by attempting to teach the BBC, African Eye and Daily Trust media their ethical job.
“It is unacceptably sad that Lai Mohammed relishes ganging the media and incessantly transferring his failures and aggression to the innocent press.
“I, therefore, urge him to take the battle to the murderous terrorists and bandits than ceaselessly stifling the media same way he did during the #EndSars 2020 protest.
“He should be told that the media is universally protected by the international laws to dutifully cover war news, conduct interviews and run documentaries with any group of people or persons for public consumption and education.
“The Federal Government should protect and appreciate the BBC and Daily Trust for their courageous documentaries on bandit terror warlords.
“Lai Mohammed should be aware that even International Humanitarian Law protects journalists in armed – conflict situation.
“Is the Federal Government saying that journalists should not do their job again? Why is the government sad over the documentaries? Are they hiding something we do not know?
“The Buhari government should be told that Article 79 of the API to Geneva Conventions (GC) provides that “Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians” and “be protected as such” under IHL”
“The media is not the cause of the incompetence of this government where terrorists are visibly disgracing the Nigerian space with gruesome and open terror attacks. Enough is enough”, Njoku stated.
