Gov. Bello takes on media over Herdsmen attack .As over 60 journalists stormed police headquarters in Kogi

By Rowland 'Shuwa

Irked by the attendant publicity and public outcry that greeted the reported senseless killings in Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada and Iyade villages, in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi state by the dreaded herdsmen, Governor Yahaya Bello has petitioned the police over the reports which was written by some journalists in the state.

Findings by Our Medium  reveal that, acting on the petition which was written by the Director General of Media to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, 8 journalists were summoned to the police headquarters. However, in solidarity to their colleagues over 60 journalists, this morning, stormed the police headquarters in Kogi state in answer to the summons.

While addressing the journalists, the Kogi state commissioner of police, CP Ali Janka stressed that the police is a friend of the people especially members of the Fourth Estate of the realm and urged them to always cross check their findings before rushing to the press.   

Information gathered by Our Medium reveals that 16 journalists were initially invited for questioning on the report of the killings but the number was later pruned down to 8.

 Our Medium recalls that penultimate week’s attack by herdsmen was the latest in a series of attacks on the innocent indigenes of the state and this was widely reported last week by leading newspapers in the country.

Based on the wide publicity given the ugly incident, journalists in the state have become an endanger specie has some political thugs were said to have invaded the NUJ press center on Thursday with the intent to beat up some journalists identified as anti-government but they were dissuaded from the act.

It will be recalled that in a move many see as trying to fertilize his second term bid by identifying with President Muhammed Buhari’s kinsmen, Governor Yahaya Bello had on the heels of killings in Benue state and other parts of the country extended a hand of fellowship to the killer Fulani herdsmen, earlier in the year, to come down to Kogi State and continue their grazing activities and probably become citizens.

Although this offer of a sanctuary for the herdsmen was condemned throughout the length and breadth of the state with many esteemed statesmen in the state advising the governor to jettison the idea this yet trailer loads of Fulani women and children moved into the state allegedly with permission from a District Head in Bwari, Abuja.