On Wednesday, a number of security agents stationed at the National Assembly prevented journalists from accessing the complex, leaving several accredited reporters stranded.
When approached, the Sergeant-at-Arms and police officers on duty, according to Punch, explained that the restriction was due to “orders from above,” which instructed them to bar entry for anyone without an official permanent identity card.
Despite the journalists’ explanation that the Information Department had yet to issue their permanent cards, the security personnel stood firm.
Efforts to negotiate entry for those holding temporary identity papers and clearance were unsuccessful, and the situation quickly escalated. As journalists tried to reason with the security personnel, verbal abuse turned into physical altercations.
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A journalist with The Sun, Mudashiru Atanda, sustained injuries during the scuffle, while Nicolas Kalu of The Nation and Gloria Essien of Voice of Nigeria were shoved aside as tensions reached a boiling point.
Additionally, Tolu Akinyemi, an accredited journalist with SuperScreen Television, had her smartphone seized by one of the operatives, who threatened to ensure that she would never see it again.
The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly, when contacted by Punch, denied issuing any directive for the security measures that led to the incident, leaving the situation shrouded in uncertainty.
