MRA urges Niger gov to probe harassment of journalist

MEDIA Rights Agenda ( MRA) has urged Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, to investigate reports that his Chief Press Secretary ( CPS), Ms Mary Noel- Barje, ordered the arrest of The Punch correspondent, Mr. Adebayo Ayinde, and directed security men to bar him from the Government House for undisclosed reasons.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, MRA Project Director, Segun Fatuase, urged the governor to sack the CPS, if she engaged in the illegal action of using law enforcement agents to intimidate, harass and prevent the journalist from carrying out his professional duties.

According to MRA, if Ms. Noel- Barje is harassing journalists and antagonising the Government House press corps, instead of facilitating their work, it is clear that she is not serving the best interest of the governor or the state government.

The CPS had reportedly sent the reporter’s pictures to some security personnel in the state and instructed those at the Government House to bar him from entry. Government House security were also reported to have confirmed that the CPS had told them to arrest Mr. Ayinde.

“It is certainly not the role or function of a CPS, who should facilitate good relations between the government she is serving and the media, to be ordering the arrest of journalists or obstructing the performance of their professional duties. It is apparent, from her actions, that Ms. NoelBarje does not know her job,” Fatuase stated.

AFEDERAL High Court in Lagos, yesterday, granted permission to former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, to travel abroad for further medical treatment.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted him permission following an application by Fayose’s counsel, Ola Olanipekun ( SAN).

Fayose had, through his counsel, sought an order of the court granting him leave “to travel abroad for further medical examination, diagnosis, treatment and therapeutics, as exigency of his health demands, on dates which shall not coincide with or obstruct any date of the trial in this case.”

He also sought an order that his international passport, which was deposited with the Registrar of the Court as part of the conditions for his bail, be released to him and that he would return it to the court upon his return from the trip.