On Wednesday, some officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Benin assaulted Joy Odigie, a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Odigie had visited the Edo command of the service to interview its Public Relations Officer, Ake Kenneth, regarding a reported burglary at the command’s offices.
A source informed journalists that the attacked offices included the border unit, technical section, and the National Identification Number (NIN) office. Over the weekend, hoodlums vandalized electrical cables and equipment in these offices and stole items, including money from a safe.
The source added that one of the perpetrators was apprehended by officers on duty on Monday. However, when Odigie arrived at the command, the officers at the reception allegedly questioned her purpose for being there.
“I had already passed through the security personnel in front of the office when I heard some officers calling ‘excuse me, excuse me.’ I was on the staircase, but when I realized they were calling me, I came down,” Odigie recounted.
“I told them I was a journalist and wanted to see the PRO. One of them responded that he knew I was a journalist and began shouting that he wanted to search me, claiming I could be carrying a bomb.”
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“I told him that since he knew I was a journalist, he should let me see the PRO rather than embarrass me. He then said I should meet an officer to be educated. When the situation became more embarrassing, I refused to meet the officer.”
“At this point, more officers arrived, and a female officer said, ‘Oga is calling you.’ I asked for the name of ‘Oga,’ and surprisingly, the lady replied, ‘You are disrespecting my oga, you stupid albino,’ using derogatory and discriminatory language towards a person with albinism,” Odigie narrated.
When Odigie expressed her disapproval of the offensive term, other officers reportedly attacked her and confiscated her belongings.
“One of the officers with a gun dragged me by the arm and pulled me outside the office. My umbrella fell from my hand and was taken by an officer. I left the office and called the PRO of the service, who came to my rescue and requested that my umbrella be returned to me,” said Odigie, who appeared visibly distressed.
When contacted, the public relations officer of the command apologized and confirmed that he had extended his apology to the journalist.
