The Rivers State Police Command on Wednesday apologised to the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in the state over the beating of the PUNCH Correspondent, Mr. Ibanga Isine, on November 10.
The apology was contained in a letter signed by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Hassan, and delivered to the Chairman of the chapel, Mr. Lawson Hayford.
Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, delivered the letter on behalf of the command.
Isine was manhandled by five armed policemen near his residence in D-Line area of the city while returning from a nearby restaurant with a relation.
The police team had mounted a roadblock close to the home of the journalist and ordered him to lie down as soon as he appeared on the location.
While others pointed their corked guns at him, one of the anti-riot policemen, who had over three daggers in his belt, started flogging Isine with a horsewhip.
It was when the trio of the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbonna Nwuke, the Army spokesman in the state, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa and the Abbey, arrived at the scene of the attack that Isine was rushed to the hospital.
But in the apology tendered by the command, the state police commissioner condemned the attack on the PUNCH correspondent.
Hassan indicated that the action of the errant policemen had affected the smooth relationship which had existed between the command and journalists in the state.
Part of the letter reads, “In the Light of the above, the command is hereby tendering an unreserved apology to the chapel and the victim of the assault.
“It is my hope that the relationship between the police and the union will improve tremendously in the New Year.”
Reacting to the apology, Hayford said the chapel has reversed its decision stopping its members from covering activities of the state police command.
In a statement, the leader of the chapel urged journalists to give adequate publicity to the efforts of the police in ensuring security of lives and property in the state.
Part of the statement reads, “The police and the press are partners in the security and development of the state, the two bodies have a duty to work together.”
source:the punch news paper
search the web
Custom Search
