Journalists for Democratic Rights, JODER, has raised alarm over fresh death threat and arson against journalists reporting the thread of ethnic conflicts in some parts of the country.
JODER in a release on Tuesday signed by its Assistant Programme Office, Akinwale Kasali, said free speech which is one of principles of democracy is facing renewed threat from masked individuals probably backed by some organized interests.
The group said it recorded another major threat against media institutions and peaceful coexistence on March 24 while monitoring media coverage of conflict in some selected radio and TV stations.
The group called on Nigerian Police to investigate what appeared as an organized threat against peace and some media institutions for wrongly perception of media role in coverage of ethnic conflict.
According to the group, one Aisha Ismail while calling on a phone in programme on Petals Radio based in Ibadan, specifically told the Radio presenter that she was involved in an organized plan to relaunch attack in Ife with arms and ammunitions and that some media institutions including Petals Radio would be dealt with while the journalists working there would also be attacked.
It added that the caller was later identified by JODER through Caller ID to be Ismail calling from Ibadan.
“We have seen a similar trend of threats against local journalists in Benue from vested interests who misconstrued the balanced role of media coverage of such conflict as bias.”
JODER said in many cases callers hide their numbers, but that in the case of the caller to Petals Radio, the media group was able to identify her through caller ID.
Kasali explained that in the case of Ismail, with registered number 08168362208, her name was identified.
“We are coming to attack Ife again. We are coming with arms and ammunition,”he quoted Ismail as saying while speaking on the local programme APERO managed by the radio station monitored around 5:15-6 am on the said day.
The group noted she claimed an organised revenge by armed groups was inevitable following the Ile-Ife ethnic crisis.
JODER added that refusal to hearken to warning signals from the public was partly responsible for some of the ethnic clashes in some parts of the country.
“The lady was very bold and spoke with strong determination. We have provided the police with this report with hope that the institution will investigate in order to halt another possible ethnic bloodletting,” it said. “The lady was very bold and spoke with strong determination. We have provided the police with this report with the hope that the institution will investigate in order to halt another possible ethnic bloodletting.
