Group Urges Protection For Journalists

A group, the Network of Peace Journalists on the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), has kicked against all forms of intimidation, molestation, torture or imprisonment of journalists around the world.

The group, along with Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC), and Conflict Mitigation and Management Regional Council (CMMRC), said promoting the safety of journalists is central to its mandate.

In a statement signed by the group’s team leader, Ibrahima Yakubu during the weekend in Kaduna, he said there was urgent need to make provisions for hotlines, safe houses, safety fund, safety equipment, legal assistance, emergency assistance amongst others for journalists by their unions.

Yakubu stressed the need for continuous training on risk analysis and threat mitigation to secure communications, conflict sensitive journalism, media laws and code of conduct and others.

He said journalists should be resilient, build support groups, raise alarm when threatened or intimidated, and report incidents of attacks and seek legal redress for any violation of their individual and professional rights.

He said there is also a need to take into account the risks faced by women journalists, saying that media owners and other stakeholders should also raise awareness on the need for the protection of women journalists.

He added that there should be a global agreement between governments and media owners to ensure journalists’ safety, especially in Nigeria.