Mr. Seun Falomo, a cameraman with Galaxy Television, was on April 5, 2024, assaulted by immigration officers while he was covering the arrest of an official of the Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) in Ibadan, Oyo State. He was pushed to the ground and threatened with a gun but was rescued by some of his colleagues and some members of the public.
The assault occurred a few minutes after the OYRTMA official was arrested and detained for apprehending an immigration personnel who violated traffic rules.
According to reports, the immigration officers retaliated by arresting the OYRTMA official, stripping him naked, and locking him up at their Zone F headquarters on Old Ife Road in Ibadan.
The Immigration officers turned their aggression towards the journalists present for trying to cover the incident for their mediums. In the process, Mr. Falomo and others were assaulted and threatened with death. Some of the immigration officers also attempted to seize his camera which was met with resistance.
Comrade Ademola Babalola, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, described the incident as worrisome and issued a short statement, appealing to journalists to be mindful of overzealous security operatives.
