Family, friends and well-wishers couldn’t hide their tears as the young journalist, late Precious Owolabi, the Channels Television Reporter was buried at the Wusasa cemetery, Zaria.
The death of Owolabi, who was undergoing one year compulsory NYSC at Channel TV in Abuja occurred while covering the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protest and clash with the security agencies.
However, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union, Dr Qasim Akinreti, has strongly condemned the killing of journalists by any group.
“NUJ Lagos council is deeply sad that the late Precious Owolabi paid the supreme price to his fatherland and the Journalism profession.
“The union condemns in strong terms, assault on and killing of Nigerian journalists by any group and the inability of the state apparatus to protect journalists on the line of duty.“We appealed to the Nigerian state to have a critical look at the threat to national security by the IMN group and follow the path of rule of law on their demands as quickly as possible.
“The NUJ Lagos State Council calls on media organisations to ensure that journalists sent to cover protests or conflicts henceforth are equipped with life vests and other protective head gear,” Akinreti said.
The chairman noted that the current development once again brought to the fore the safety of Nigerian journalists while carrying out their constitutional mandate.
He said the union recalled that years back, Channels TV lost another young and promising reporter in similar circumstances in Kano.
