Hardship Protest: Hooligans Attack Journalists In Calabar

• Cart away palliatives in violent incident 
• NUJ demands punishment for hoodlums

BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – Less than 48 hours before the planned nationwide protests commencing on Thursday, August 1, 2024, journalists in Calabar, the Cross River State capital have been attacked by some hoodlums.

According to eyewitness accounts, the attack left a reporter with the Nigerian Tribune, Joseph Abasi-Abasi as well as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council’s bus driver, Joseph Akpaenin, and auxiliary staff member, Saviour Ekpenyong seriously injured.

Reports indicated that while Akpaenin suffered injuries to his shoulder and face, with his phone also stolen, some journalists sustained significant bruises in the attack.

NUJ insiders said the hooligans had targeted the 18-seater NUJ bus that was transporting food items from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) warehouse located on the popular Barracks Road to the Ernest Etim Press Centre in the State Housing Estate, Calabar when the attack took place.

Forefront News learnt that as the bus stopped at the Barracks Road traffic light junction at about 10 am, the bad boys suddenly appeared from nowhere to assault the driver and some journalists who were escorting the items with him.

In the process, the gang members aside from visiting their anger on the bus by shattering the windscreen as well as the glass windows, carted away some of the items while descending heavily on several journalists who tried to stop them and protect the palliatives.

Our Correspondent gathered that the food items in the bus were allocated to the NUJ State Council by the Cross River State government as part of palliatives to cushion the current economic hardship in the country.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Cross River State Council NUJ Chairman, Comrade Archibong Bassey, condemned the violent attack on journalists and the destruction of the Council’s property perpetrated by the hoodlums.

He called on the security agencies to up their game in identifying the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice.