Nigeria Union of Journalists Drags Police, GTB To Court For Assaulting Journalist

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By Seyi Oduyela

Published: January 9, 2010

Nigeria Union of Journalists Drags Police, GTB To Court For Assaulting Journalist

 For criminally assaulting one of its members, Desmond Utomwen while on official assignment, the Abuja Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ has threatened to unleash legal actions against the Nigerian Police and Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB.

 In a letter written on behalf of the council and the victim by Festus Keyamo Chambers to both the Inspector General of Police and the Guaranty Trust Bank, the body issued a seven days ultimatum to accede to its demands or face legal action.

 As contained in the letters, jointly signed by the legal counsels, Ugochukwu Ezekiel Esq and Alexander Oketa Esq of Festus Keyamo Chambers, the counsels are demanding that a full scale investigation be launched into the matter with a view to identifying the culprits and prosecuting them in line with the dictates of the law.

 The counsel is also demanding the immediate release of the items forcefully seized from the victim and immediate payment of the sum of N50million being compensation to our client for the assault, medical bills and loss of earnings as a result of the acts of the officials.

 Some of the items forcefully collected from Utomwen include a digital camera, a digital recorder, official identity card and some money.

 While warning against failure to accede to the demands, the counsels stated: “Take notice that if you fail or neglect to heed the above stated demands within the aforementioned time, we shall immediately set into motion all machineries of the law towards obtaining adequate remedy for our client including but not limited to initiating criminal actions against your Bank and its officials.

 The NUJ expressed its concerned over the activities of a handful of members of the Police Force which they say is dragging the name of the Police to the mud.

 Utomwen, a journalist in the Abuja Bureau Office of TheNEWS Magazine, was on December 11, beaten to stupor by policemen and officials of the GTBank for covering a peaceful protest by the customers of the GTB over some fraudulent withdrawals from the account of one of the customers of the bank amounting to about N490, 000.

 Controversially, the fraudulent withdrawal was done in one night with an ATM card, which is in contrast with N60, 000 daily withdrawal limit of the Bank. To the protesters, there must have been insider collusion to aide such colossal withdrawal in one night.

 The brutalisation of Utomwen came few days after the Amnesty International report indicted the Nigeria Police of extra judicial killings and wanton brutality. The Police authority of course faulted the AI report.

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