By Bukola Hameed
Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, MMPN has decried the constant attacks and harassments of media professionals by security agents.
This is contained in a communique issued in Ibadan by the Chairman, MMPN, Oyo State Chapter, Alhaji Ridwan Fasasi at the end of the monthly meeting of the Association hosted by Ministry of Information held at Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan.
The communique noted with dismay the attack by police on Oyo State Correspondent of The Nations newspaper, Mr Yinka Adeniran and the alleged shooting of Correspondent of the same newspaper in Osun State, Mr. Toba Adedeji emphasising the need for the concerned authorities to address the inhuman treatments of the members of the fourth estate of the realm.
The Association explained that overzealouness of security agents must be checked as this portends a great danger to the country.
MMPN equally condemned the attack by unknown gunmen at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State urging the police to ensure perpetrators are brought to book.
It also decried killings of Deborah in Sokoto and murder of Harirah and her four children in Anambra, describing the acts as callous and inhumane and charged security agencies to ensure the culprits are brought to book while they should as well buckle up to ensure protection of lives and property.
As build up to 2023 general elections gather momentum, the Association added its voice to consistent calls by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on electorate to collect their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs at various offices and centres across the country with particular reference to Oyo state with seven hundred and fifty thousand, 750,000 unclaimed PVCs
It also looked into the plight of pensioners in the country, observing that many state governments have failed to pay pensions and gratuities of retirees, thereby subjecting them to untold hardships, and therefore called on the affected states to offset the backlogs in order to ensure wellbeing of the senior citizens who used their productive years to serve.
The Association frowned at the rate of hard drugs consumption among Nigerian youths in particular which is not a good omen for the future of the country.