Two journalists, Oluwole Adeboye and Yemi Itodo, who work for online news media covering the activities of the National Assembly, were in July 2017 assaulted by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications, Hon. Saheed Akinade Fijabi over publications that displeased him.
They were physically assaulted, arrested and taken to the offices of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) where they were detained and their phones were seized for several hours before they were released when a DSS officer intervened.
Irked by reports published by two online media, NassNews.com and Watchdog News, Hon. Fijabi reportedly asked his legislative aide, Baba Suleiman to summon Itodo who is the Chairman of National Assembly New Media Chapel and the correspondent of Daily Post to whom he expressed his displeasure.
When asked to issue a reaction that would be published on the same platforms, the law maker reportedly insisted on seeing the authors of the publication.
He allegedly pounced on Oluwole Adeboye, one of the authors of the stories he complained about and when Itodo tried to save the situation he also became a victim of his assault. Hon. Fijabi’s aides also joined him in assaulting the journalists. It took the intervention of other legislators who heard their colleague shouting at the top of his voice to save the situation.
Not done, Hon. Fijabi called the Police and Sergeant at Arm to arrest the journalists accusing them of being criminals whereon they were bundled into a van and driven to the offices of the DSS.
Justifying the publication, Adeboye claimed he tried severally to get the legislator’s reaction to his story but when he was not forthcoming, he went to the press hoping to get his reaction later.
