The Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barr. Eze Chikamnayo, has urged the Federal Government to hastily declare the ‘bandits’ a terrorist group so as to attract global interest in combating the menace.
Chikamnayo who stated this in a media workshop organized by the Nigerian Press Council in collaboration with Forte and Henz Limited, held in the State capital,Umuahia, today, urged the hosting council to deliver the message to the federal government as a wake up call.
Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner emphasized that pampering them with the name bandits has exacerbated the crime rate perpetrated by the insurgent group.
Speaking on the theme for the workshop, “The role of the media in combating violent extremism and terrorism in Nigeria”, the information Commissioner, noted that insecurity in the country had gone beyond the control of the Federal government and urged journalists to apply professionalism and be mindful of their choice of words in reporting violent extremism and terrorism in the country and not to use sentiment in inciting the situation.
While pointing out that Abia is peaceful despite being bordered by every State in the Southeastern part of Nigeria, he affirmed that the Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, was able to manage and contain security challenges in the State by providing adequate security facilities and welfare for the different security agencies in the State.
Chikamnayo, however, stated that various arms of the government must be constructively engaged in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism as one of the means of stemming the situation, hence, he called for all hands to be on deck to generally eradicate the menace.
Earlier in his address, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Press Council, Mr. Francis Nwosu, had said that the aim of the workshop was to enhance the instrumentality and capacity of the media professionals on how to report terrorism in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria.
Nwosu, therefore, highlighted that the media must ensure that their reports are balanced, unbiased and factual analysis of such activities.
Also speaking, the representative of the National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists,NUJ, Mr. Emmanuel Ifesinachi, noted that the theme for the workshop was timely and a contemporary subject matter.
Ifesinachi who is also the Southeast zonal vice president of NUJ, urged the political class to help the media to define the issue of terrorism and violent extremism in the county.
Meanwhile, the Abia State NUJ Chairman, Comrade Victor Ndukwe, said that there must be purposeful engagement of all the stakeholders on the drawing board if terrorism and violent extremism will effectively combatted adding that the security personnel must see journalists as co-partners in the fight against insurgency.
