Immigration officers assault lady journalist in Edo

By Jethro Ibileke

A woman journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Joy Odigie, was on Wednesday assaulted by some officers of the Edo State Command of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Benin.

The traumatised journalist said that she had visited the NIS office at Ikpoba Hill to interview its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ake Kenneth on the alleged burglary on offices belonging to the Command.

It was gathered that some hoodlums attacked the Border Unit, Technical Section and the National Identification Number (NIN), over the weekend.

The hoodlums reportedly vandalised some electrical cable and equipment in the offices and carted away some items including money kept in a safe.

The source said one of the perpetrators was apprehended by some officers on duty on Monday.

But when Miss Odigie visited the Command, some officers at the reception queried her mission.

She said: “I had passed through the security men in front of the office, when I heard some officers saying excuse me, excuse me.

“I was already on the staircase. But when I realised that I was the person being called, I came down from the staircase.

“I told them that I was a journalist and wanted to see the PRO. One of them answered that he knew I was a journalist and started shouting that he wanted to search me, that I could be carrying a bomb.

“I told him that since he knew that I was a journalist, he should allow me go and see the PRO rather than embarrass me.

“He said that I should meet an officer to educate me. When it was becoming more embarrassing, I told him I wasn’t going to meet the officer.

“By this time, more officers came to the scene and a female officer said: ‘Oga is calling you, and I asked for the name of the Oga.

“Surprisingly, the lady replied: ‘You are disrespecting my Oga, you this stupid albino’, a derogatory and discriminatory words for a person with albinism,” Odigie narrated.

When the journalist told the officer she was stupid for using that expression, other officers reportedly descended on her and confiscated her belongings.

“One of the officers with a gun dragged me by the arm and pulled me outside the office. The umbrella I was holding fell from my hand and was collected by an officer.

“I left the office and put a call across to the PRO of the service, who then came to my rescue and he asked that my umbrella be given back to me,” said Odigie, who was visibly troubled.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Command Ake Kenneth, apologised, saying he had extended same to the journalist.