The management of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust and other titles, has condemned what it described as the “reprehensible actions” of Mr Femi Fani-Kayode on its reporter, Eyo Charles.
In a statement signed by the Executive Director/Editor-in-Chief, Naziru Mikailu Abubakar, the newspaper management said that in a video clip now gone viral, the former minister verbally assaulted – repeatedly its reporter, in the course of doing his job.
According to the media organisation, the encounter occurred in Calabar, Cross River State, in the morning of Thursday 20, August 2020 at a hotel, during a roundtable with invited journalists.
It added, “During the roundtable, Charles asked Fani-Kayode who was bankrolling his recent trips around Nigeria, to which the ex-minister responded with a raised voice, insults, and eventually a threat to inflict bodily harm on our reporter. The barrage continued for some minutes, while bewildered journalists, including our reporter, looked on.
The video clip, also released on one of the ex-minister’s social media accounts, was conveniently edited to exclude the question asked by Charles, totally devoid of mischief, simply sought clarification and information, like good journalism should.
“Said editing paved the way for a social media lynch mob to rain expletives on our reporter, labelling him as ‘rude’. This could not be further away from the truth, and we stand by Charles, and commend him for his calmness during the ordeal.”
The media organisation said that its reporters are responsible professionals, who uphold the tenets of journalism, as well as best practices.
“That Fani-Kayode attacks a reporter doing his job, is an indication of the chilling disregard he has towards the media, and its work in investigating and reporting on issues. As always, we stand in solidarity with our reporters, and will continue to fight for the rights of all journalists. After all, journalism is part of the bedrock of democracy; therefore practitioners must not be intimidated or threatened as they carry out their work.
“We urge the Nigeria Police to take note, that if anything happens to Charles, Daily Trust will hold Fani-Kayode responsible, especially due to the intensity of the verbal threats he issued during the shocking incident.”
It described the actions of Fani-Kayode as not only reprehensible, but also constituting a setback to press freedom, in a most dire form, adding that “this kind of assault raises major concerns over the safety of journalists in Nigeria.”
It emphasised that Daily Trust is a completely independent media organisation that does not pander to the whims of any individual or group, no matter how powerful or well-placed in society. “We will continue to serve Nigerians – and indeed the world – with quality, reliable reportage, no matter whose ox is gored,” it added.