By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Security operatives attached to Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir have threatened to deal with Journalists working around the Governor’s Office and Government House while performing their duties.
The Journalists, who are members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ were at the Palace of the Emir of Katagum, headquarters of Katagum LGA when the Governor visited the local government after a violent protest where hoodlums razed the Council Secretariat and destroyed part of the Government House Annex in Azare last Monday.
The incident occurred on Thursday inside the Palace Hall when the Journalists were trying to find a place to record the Governor’s speech when an operative of the DSS simply identified as ‘Abdul’ ordered them to vacate the hall.
The Journalists left and were looking for an alternative spot to get their job done within the hall when he went to them again to threaten them by staying: “This is just the beginning,” even as the Governor, in company with other dignitaries, had seated next to his host, the Emir of Katagum.
“You challenged me? You will see. This thing that you have done, this is the beginning,” he warned the Journalists, much to the surprise of witnesses in the Palace.
One of the Journalists replied saying this sounds like a threat, but he maintained his utterance that he would deal with the Journalists.
“He once molested me at a function, he is quite aggressive,” a Government House crew Journalist who pleaded anonymity, said.
Similarly, some of the personnel had on Thursday last week during the first day of the nationwide protest against bad governance brutalised a person living with disability identified as Hamza Waziri who is now being hospitalised at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.
Hamza Waziri was participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest in front of the government house.
He was seen in a trending video clip where four police officers attached to the Government House entrance were assaulting him.
Also, Aisha Dogara, a resident of Bauchi who participated in the protest was assaulted with her clothes torn. Bruise were seen all over her body.
Recall that the Governor had condemned the act and ordered full investigation into the allegations in order to ascertain its occurrence with a promise to do justice.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado as promised to look into the issue in order to avert future occurrence just as he pacified the Journalists.
