The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nasarawa Council, has sought partnership with the Police Command in the state to clamp down on fake journalists and impostors
By Sunday John
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nasarawa Council, has sought partnership with the Police Command in the state to clamp down on fake journalists and impostors
The Chairman of the union in the state, Salihu Mohammed-Alkali, stated this while presenting members of the Anti-Quackery Enforcement Committee to the Commissioner of Police, Shetima Jauro-Mohammed, on Friday in Lafia.
Mohammed-Alkali said that the partnership became imperative due to the increasing number of persons posing as journalists, thereby extorting unsuspecting members of the public and giving the profession a bad name.
He also explained that the use of NUJ or press stickers on vehicles by non journalists would no longer be tolerated.
Mohammed-Alkali said that members of the committee were charged with the responsibility to report impostors to the police for necessary action.
“When you see them in public functions or on the roads, do not hesitate to report to the nearest police station for prompt action.
“We must sanitise the profession, and we will not allow any person or group to tarnish our good image,”he said.
The NUJ Chairman appreciated the police and other security agencies for keeping the state safe and urged them to do more in order to address pockets of security challenges in some parts of the state.
He assured the police of the support of journalists in the state in intelligence gathering with a view to tackling insecurity and promoting peace.
On his part, Chris Nyamtu, Chairman of the Committee, who spoke on behalf of others, expressed gratitude to the union for the confidence reposed in them and promised to discharge their assigned responsibility without fear or favour.
In response, the Commissioner of Police welcomed the partnership and recognised the crucial role journalists play in shaping public perception and influencing behavior.
Jauro-Mohammed said that the partnership would further enhance the flow of information and promote more effective policing in the state.
“Our support for you is total because you are critical to fighting crime and insecurity and ensuring that the state is safe,” he said.
The CP further said that the command had been doing a lot under his leadership in the last eight months to curtail insecurity.
“We have achieved a lot in terms of arresting criminals and recovering stolen items, and we will not relent until we defeat criminals completely in the state,” he said.
The Commissioner, therefore, appealed to members of the public to continue providing security agencies with useful information to enable them to catch criminals before they commit crimes.(NAN). (www.nannews.ng).