Edo 2024 Poll: NUJ Seeks Protection Of Journalists, To Partner With Security Agencies

Ahead of the September 21 Edo State governorship election, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Edo State have expressed their readiness to partner with the NUJ to ensure there is free, fair and credible elections.
The security agencies gave the assurance when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) visited their offices in Benin City.
Receiving the NUJ at the headquarters of 4 Brigade, the Commanding Officer, Brig-Gen Ebenezer Oduyebo, said any organisation that wanted to do well must be friends with journalists.
General Oduyebo said they were ready to partner with the media to ensure there was free and fair election in Edo State and promised to attend to issues raised with the brigade by journalists.
He said, “I want to say that we really respect journalists, and we are friendly to you people because of our approach to National Security. If we have any issue we also prefer you take it up with us, and we would address them instead of going to the media.
“I want to commend you people for your support. The military are apolitical. It’s not our business and we don’t belong to any political party. Ours is to ensure the protection of lives and property.
“We are there to support the police to ensure everybody can go out to vote. We would make sure anybody that wants to vote cast their votes. We would not allow any intimidation of anybody including journalists. If you must go out to vote make sure you are accredited.
“So if you are a journalist make sure you get accredited with your accreditation card we would allow you to vote. If you say you are a journalist we allow you to move, then everybody will become journalist. We don’t want people to start moving and start causing problems for us.
“Most likely there will be restriction of movement. Those that will be allowed to move will be allowed to move. We will inform our men that will be in polling units to allow those journalists that are accredited with proof to move around. So just continue to be our friend,” General Oduyebo appealed.
The NUJ Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe said though soldiers would not be at the polling booths, they had a key role to play in the election by supporting the police to provide security.
“We want to appeal to the Brigade that the men that will be on ground should be told to protect journalists. There are occasions you see the politicians dealing with us. Please tell your men not to throw their eyes away. They should protect us. Your men should help us,” he said.
At the NSCDC office, the Commandant, Gbenga Joseph Agun said the commission would station men in those major areas like banks, telecoms masts and other government facilities.
“We train our men on how they will go about the election and the areas to protect. We guide and monitor activities of private guards. Another one is the disaster management.
“Disaster can come at any time. It could be natural or man-made. It is our duty to mitigate the disaster. It could be fire, motor accident or anything. When it happens we embark on rescue operations by joining other security agencies to put an end to the situation.”
The Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, said one duty of the journalist is to serve the society. He said since the assumption of the new leadership of the NUJ that the practice and the activities of the journalists have been regulated according to the modern and international best practices.
He appealed to the agencies to protect journalists during the elections.
Appealing to the Edo State Commandant of the NSCDC, Alenkhe’s said, “I discovered that your men from other states will arrive very soon to join Edo State Command men to ensure that the election is peaceful, successful, transparent, possibly devoid of crisis.
“Because of this, we felt that we need to have this interactive session with you to let you know that journalists will also be in the field, that your men need to give us protection.