A Lagos-based broadcast journalist, Adeniyi Taiwo Kunnu has raised alarm over threats to his life and members of his family by an unknown person.
Kunnu in a statement made available to Tribune Online on Sunday said that for decades, he has received sundry disaffections from some people who listen to him on radio or watched him on television in the course of being a media professional.
He, however, reiterated that he has ignored it mostly because he felt it was an occupational hazard with being a journalist, but added that these dislikes seem to have metamorphosed, and have come to a point where he cannot ignore it anymore.
While narrating further, he said: “On November 27 and December 8, 2023, a broadcast journalist by the name, Mr. Victor Obot Archibong informed me that he was accosted first by two men and at another time saw the same persons, who asked about my whereabouts thinking I was working with his media outfit.
“On the 28th of December and 30th of December, 2023, Mr Nicholas Anyamene, another colleague working with another media house informed me that some men came to his place of work asking about me. Following their departure, he informed me about their visit and warned me to be careful because he didn’t feel good about how they looked and what they sounded like.
“In addition, I was also informed by one of my colleagues at Lagos Talks 91.3, on December 1, December 4 and December 13, all in 2023, that two persons who didn’t mention their names came to ask about me, remarking that I have been speaking too much in the course of my weekly broadcast.
“Importantly, on my weekly programme which holds on Thursdays and Fridays between 9 am to 11 am, I mentioned these incidences of threat on the 14th. 15th, 21st, 22nd and 28th of December, 2023, for the listener to know that some unknown persons who do not like Nigeria were threatening me.
“Shocking to me was that, on December 25, 2023, at 23.51hrs I received a threat mail from an unknown Ibrahim Mohammed. (Please find the email and message attached to this report) [email protected] what became scary was how the unknown Mohammed mentioned that I and a family member are not physically present. One thing that I usually don’t do is to discuss my journeys with people, so this came to me as a shocking statement, especially mentioning that I travelled with my wife.
“Four days after the first mail, I received another one on the 29th of December, 2023 at 10:39hrs, from the same unknown Ibrahim Mohammed with the email address [email protected] (please see the attached email and message for your documentation).
“These developments have left me completely worried, especially for the safety of my immediate and extended family members.
“I am here reporting these concerns, so as to keep the media informed and for record purposes, thus enabling needful awareness and useful alert against unknown detractors who are never comfortable with the noble work I and many of my other colleagues in the media do as occupants of the Fourth Estate of the Realm.”
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