Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the July 22, 2019 killing in Abuja of Mr. Precious Owolabi, a trainee television journalist with the privately-owned Channels Television and called on the Nigerian government to investigate the circumstances of his death and ensure that journalists can continue carrying out their work in safe conditions.
The UNESCO DG said: “I condemn the killing of Precious Owolabi, I trust the authorities will investigate the circumstances of Mr Owolabi’s death and ensure that journalists can continue carrying out their work in safe conditions.”
Precious, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving his primary assignment with Channels Television, was shot in the stomach while covering a clash between the police and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiites in Abuja. He later died of the injuries he sustained from the gun shot.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
