Niger NUJ Salutes Journalists For Sacrifices Amid Impunity
Sadiq Muhammad Asa
- Niger state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ has saluted all journalists who sacrifice their lives amid all forms of harassment and intimidation for the public to be well informed.
As the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists , Niger state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ has saluted all journalists who sacrifice their lives amid all forms of harassment and intimidation for the public to be well informed.
The union posited in a statement to mark the day, that the people can not get a voice when journalists on a daily basis suffer from both fatal (killings) and non-fatal attacks, such as torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, intimidation and harassments in both conflict and non-conflict situations.
The state council noted that the day is a UN-recognized international day observed annually on 2 November. and it draws attention to the low global conviction rate for violent crimes against journalists and media workers, estimated at only one in every ten cases.
The Niger state council of NUJ is however alarmed by the UNESCO data that revealed thus ” In the past fourteen years (2006-2019), UNESCO close to 1,200 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public.”
The union noted that In Niger state as much as there were no cases of fatal impunity against journalists, within the year under review no fewer than five journalists have faced harassment, intimidation and detentions typical of impunity.
Regrettably, as UNESCO stated that In nine out of ten cases the killers go unpunished. thereby encouraging more Impunity against journalists and leading to more killings, arbitrary , detentions and harassment.
Whereas it is often viewed by stakeholders as a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems, we use the day to once again salute all our members who worked tirelessly to bring out the facts to protect the truth and all who stood by Journalists to perform their duties.
The Niger state council of NUJ therefore called on the security agents to be in terms with democratic values and practice by not succumbing to influence of those in power to hurriedly put people in detention, ” The mightiest are always right is alien to democracy, protect Journalists to protect the truth”
