•••As NUJ, NPC set up 14-man task force

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Council in collaboration with members of the Lagos State Police Command and Nigeria Press Council (NPC,) has set up a 14- man Task Force charged with the responsibility of ensuring arrest and prosecution of suspects who parade themselves as journalists without any valid document or place of employment.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Marvel Akpoyibo while receiving the delegation of NUJ led by its Chairman, Mr Wahaab Oba as well as Deputy Director NPC Lagos Liaison Office, Mr Izobo Agbebaku, in his office at the state Headquarters, Ikeja, commended the initiative of the councils, describing it as “self-cleansing mechanism”.

According to Akpoybo, who said the command had been bombarded with series of complaints over the presence of fake journalists who go about to dupe unsuspecting members of the public, the initiative came rather belated,” it is long over due.”

The police boss noted that  impostors exists in all the professions across the country and they mix with the authentic professionals to perpetrate their illicit activities. “Your initiative in setting up a task force, no doubt, will go a long way in sanitising your profession in the state.”

While attributing poverty as the major cause of impersonation in the media industry, Akpoyibo stressed that it was not enough to lay claim to poverty as a defence for engaging in such act because there are other legal means of alleviating one’s poverty.

He also noted that impostors engages in blackmailing, that is obtaining money from their victims under duress, obtaining money by false pretence among other offences, hence, it was high time they are brought to book. to serve as deterrent to others who are still in the business.   He therefore, warned perpetrators to desist forthwith before the long arm of the law catches up with them.

The police boss who announced that the deputy Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) in the state will lead the team of policemen in the task force, promised that the police would give every necessary support in carrying out its statutory duties of enforcing every law in the state and the country at large.

His words: “ We have a similar task force in the state police, tagged X squad, they go about to monitor how police conduct themselves on the field. Therefore, we will give you all the support, the law is there to work on, we will help to sincerely enforce the law as its coming from NUJ.

“We are here to enforce every law including existing decree. It’s part of our statutory duties to enforce all law. We are ready to go all out for them and we will work out the modus operandi”.

The Police boss assured that the task force would apply caution in carrying out its duties so as not to assault suspects and also give them benefit of doubt to prove their case in the law court.   “We will be cautious in dealing with the suspects otherwise you could assault them unduly. We must give it a human face.”

The NUJ boss, Wahaab Oba earlier in his address expressed the concern of the state council at the rate at which the impostors are developing in the media industry without any visible check on their activities.   He therefore, said that the move became necessary even as the electioneering campaign is by the corner in order to sanitise the industry which is noted to be noble.

His words: “We feel so sad each time we are confronted with the issue of fake journalists whose offence is impersonation. This is a new Nigeria and we, the media practitioners, are making efforts to re-brand the industry for good.

“Therefore, we want the law to be implemented and applied to the letter, there is code of ethics guiding the profession. Journalism is an honourable one and should be protected.”

The task force is made up of five policemen, four NUJ officials and five members from NPC. One of its responsibility is to arrest and prosecute suspected fake journalists in the state among others.