By AbdulRaheem Aodu Kaduna
Kaduna state government has expressed readiness to protect journalists practicing in the state and indeed all citizens, noting that NUJ office is not only an embassy but it is sacrosanct and should not be defiled. Senior Special Assistant to Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this yesterday when he paid a commiseration visit on the NUJ Kaduna state council over the attack on journalists and the Council by thugs. Aruwan, who frowned on the development, described it as “unfortunate,” saying the state government will never clampdown on journalists or suppress them from carrying out their constitutional functions.
“As far as the Kaduna state government is concerned, NUJ is not only an embassy, but it is also sacrosanct and should not be defiled. The media are our partners. We will not watch journalists threatened by people who want to harass them. “I would like to use this opportunity to appeal not just to journalists but to all citizens that nothing will deter the government from ensuring that all are protected,” he said. Chairman, NUJ Kaduna Council, Comrade Adamu Yusuf, appealed to the state government to assist members who lost valuable possessions during the attack. “Most of our members lost gadgets. Six handsets, five digital recorders were lost and a digital video camera belonging to Liberty TV was destroyed,” he said.
