Joe Effiong, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has apologised to a female journalist who was brutalised and dumped in prison custody by the state’s environmental sanitation agency in collaboration with the state judiciary.
Mary Ekere was abducted and brutalised by touts attached to the chairman of the state environmental sanitation management body, Mr Akpan Ikim, while taking pictures of the activities of the touts at Ibom Plaza on Monday and summarily charged to court and remanded in prison same day.
Following the uproar the incident generated in the media space within and outside the state, Ekere was released on Wednesday.
Consequently, the state governor sent a fence-mending delegation to meet and apologise to the lady journalist as well as the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council.
The leader of the delegation and state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr.Uwemedimo Nwoko, expressed government’s regret, attributing the incident to the overzealousness of a few officials.
Nwoko reiterated government’s continuous support to press freedom, Nigeria Union of Journalists and journalists as a whole.
He clearly stated that those who were involved in the highly-reprehensible incident were not acting on behalf of government, promising to enforce sanctions as soon as enquiries on the incident was concluded.
He said government had undertaken all health expenses for medical check up of the affected journalist, even as he promised on behalf of the state government, to make replacement of Mary’s work tools, including a brand new phone of her choice.
The AG solicited the continuous support of the media for Governor Udom Emmanuel administration while thanking NUJ for its partnership towards a peaceful and industrial Akwa Ibom State.
Responding on behalf of the journalists, the chairman of NUJ, Mr Amos Etuk, expressed the position of the union on the matter and to ask for an enabling environment for media practice.
Etuk thanked Akwa Ibom State government for its swift response and urged it to do the needful so as to avert future occurrences.
Mary Ekere and her family equally expressed gratitude to the Akwa Ibom State government for its support towards her immediate release and also thanked government for being dutiful and responsible over the unfortunate incident.
Akwa Ibom State government has perfected plans for the discharge of Mary Ekere in court on Thursday, September 19, 2019.