On September 17, 2017, Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, prevented Amby Uneze and Chidi Nkwopara, Correspondents of ThisDay and Vanguard Newspapers respectively, from covering government house activities claiming that they do not like him.
This action marked his execution of his earlier threat to dealt with journalists operating in the State.
In a chat with journalists, Governor Okorocha declared the journalists as enemies of government for not writing favourable reports about him and his style of governance. He did not accuse any of them of breaching any professional or ethical code in the conduct of their business.
The governor threatened he will to deal ruthlessly with the reporters if they dared return to government house to cover any of his activities, adding that he would take up the matter with their respective headquarters to ensure they are posted out of Imo State.
The governor is reported to be in running battles with journalists in the State and has been accused of clamping down on media houses and journalists in the State for demanding that he should publicly account for the revenue and expenditure of the state since 2011 when he was sworn in as governor of Imo State.
The Imo State Independent Newspapers Publishers Association (INPA) has reportedly petitioned the Inspector General of Police seeking his investigation into alleged threats to their lives and property.
They also asked that the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Press Council (NPC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Amnesty International (AI) to call the governor to order and ask him to respect the rights of journalists and freedom of the press in a democratic dispensation.
