A journalist with Daily Trust Newspaper/Trust TV, Hameed Oyegbade has explained how he was attacked and nearly lynched by supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while covering the Osun State Local Government elections that held on Saturday (yesterday).
Oyegbade who spoke exclusively with NewsClick Nigeria on Sunday said he was at the Awosuru Collation Centre in Osogbo, the State Capital for update on the elections when some overzealous APC members attacked him.
In his words: “I was attacked by members of All Progressives Congress in Osun State on Saturday, 15th of October, 2022 at 1:37pm while covering local government election at the election collation center at Awosuru in Osogbo.
“The APC members said they would not allow any journalist to cover the election. They threatened to destroy my phone and kill me. I attempted to educate them that they do not have the authority to dictate to me not to cover the election but they didn’t listen.
“I must appreciate a Local Government chairman and few reasonable ones among the APC members who cautioned the overzealous ones that attacked me.
“Also, I must not fail to recognise the very unprofessional conduct of some of Policemen and a Policewoman at the scene. As I was being attacked, the police operatives on election duty were watching without doing anything. I expected them to protect me but they didn’t. A Policewoman was even telling me to leave the place. So sad.
“Because of the mob, I couldn’t advise the fair complexion Policewoman that she was not doing the right thing. A police officer from Ataoja Division Police Headquarters later came to me and politely appealed to me to leave. So, I have left the place.
“The experience was traumatising. The action of the APC members was not a big deal. Of course, as a journalist, I know it’s part of job hazards. The most unfortunate part that made me sad was the role of the policemen and the policewoman in particular. Alas.”
