Objective journalism is key to fighting insecurity – Security experts 

By Cletus Opukeme, Warri

Security stakeholders have suggested unbiased and balance reportage as part of solutions to the insecurity ravaging the country.

The stakeholders spoke on Wednesday November 20, 2024, the 5th Annual Lecture Series of DOPF, held in Asaba, the Delta State Capital attended by the state governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and representatives of various security agencies and other sectors of the nation.

The lecture series with the theme, “Security Challenges: Finding A Local Implementable Solution”, was organized by Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF).

Speaking at the event, the Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, urged media practitioners to avoid involving in cybercrimes ranging from romance scam, Yahoo or Yahoo plus, fraud, cyber prostitution and other offences like fake news, disinformation, misinformation among others.

According to him, “it is a big problem that the Nigerian government is trying to battle”, quoting the media manager of President Ahmed Tinubu, to have said the president has ordered security agencies to clampdown on Yahoo boys.

“It is a big problem that most of our young ones who are ICT guru, they use their knowledge in a wrong way and that is why you see all these people when security agencies arrest them, they compromise.

“Arrest them, they collect money and they allow them to go. They compromise, that person you think you want to help, collect from because they are making post so that they don’t go to court, it is still the same people that will expose you, they will do video.

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“We have some agents online that you think they are just Nigerians but they are doing their businesses. They help them to recover their money and they get their percentage. They are only silent about it, it is only the police or other Agencies that they say are corrupt.

“The so-called activist that comes online that they have recovered money and says police are corrupt, the person too, is corrupt because he is getting percentage of the money recovered from the police.

He charged Journalists to ensure they confirm their reports by way if putting calls across to all parties involved in a matter, rather than being used as a “paid journalist”, or making monetary demands, “the moment you have a story you want to publish and you have reached out to the person or your target and you are demanding for money, you are not doing journalism against.

“That is why most of the online publishers that we often arrest, we stumble on so many contents. We have to profile them, we have the machines.

“If you know you have your facts, call him for comments. If he doesn’t want to comment, a no comment is a comment, publish and go ahead. Why must you demand for money? He queried.

He disclosed that the action is contrary to prohibition Act of 2024, as amended, just as he called for a collective collaboration from all and sundry in the policing of any society, stressing that it that was done, the concept of policing won’t be gotten alright.