Armed thugs on Thursday invaded Zamfara State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), press Centre Gusau and assaulted the council chairman, Ibrahim Musa Maizare.
The thugs who arrived at the press center around 11am attacked and beat the Chairman of the NUJ with dangerous objects also threatened journalists in the state.
Trouble started when chairman of the Union, comrade Maizare asked some workers who were at the NUJ Shopping Complex at the Union’s Secretariat to renovate a shop for use as campaign office to stop work.
The hoodlums said they won’t stop the work because it was given to them by a politician.
SINL Nigeria Online gathered that the NUJ shop was initially hired as restaurant but after the tenant left the restaurant business it was converted into campaign office.
Meanwhile the police who arrived later, quickly retreated when the thugs attempted to attack the security men.
It would be recalled that the said shop was burnt by rival thugs in 2021 and the NUJ asked the thugs to vacate the office for fear of putting the whole NUJ Complex and other shops attached to it at risk.
Addressing, newsmen shortly after the incident, the Secretary of the Union, Ibrahim Ahmad Gada urged the security agencies to protect the lives and properties of journalists, adding that the lives of working journalists in the state are seriously in danger.
“If armed thug can threaten to kill a working journalists what do you expect. The safety of all working journalists must be guaranteed.
“We are calling all stakeholders to intervene. How can a thug dictate the way we use our property” Gada asked?
