Police harass Iranian radio reporter, threatens to confiscate gadgets at Zakzaky trial

There was  mild d‎rama at Kaduna  High Court, venue of the trial of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria ( IMN) Leader Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky when two policemen harassed a reporter working for   Iranian radio at the venue.

Daily Trust gathered that the two policemen also asked the reporter who was standing outside the court premises alongside  other journalists to leave the venue or get his recording gadget confiscated.

The incident happened around 11:‎ 30 am and the reporter was at the court to cover the  trial of the IMN Leader in the state.

The reporter named  Aliyu Muhammad told Daily Trust that no reason was given to him by the policemen from the Operation Yaki units before ordering him to leave the venue.

” I was standing alongside other colleagues from other media stations when a  policeman approached me  and asked me to leave the venue without given me a reason. So, I asked why should I ‎leave but he started ranting that I should just leave or get myself to be blamed.

” While I was about leaving another policeman joined in harassing me publicly by  raising their voices that if I didn’t leave they will drag me into their vehicle  as well as confiscate my gadgets. Other colleagues of mine intervened but they insisted I must leave the venue,” he said.

Aliyu later informed the State Public Relations Officer of the command DSP Yakubu Sabo who sent a police officer to the venue to talk to the policemen to stop the harassment but after the officer left they still forced him to leave.

Contacted the Nigerian Union of Journalists State Chairman Adamu Yusuf said the union was aware of the incident  and that the issue will formed part of the agenda  at the Congress today ( Thursday) before reaching out to the state State Command to know why the policemen harassed  the reporter.

” We are aware of the incident and we will take it up with the police command to know why the policemen singled him (reporter) out of the other journalists to harass him, and asked him to leave,” he said.