Bauchi governor’s security aide threatens to deal with journalists
By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
A security operative attached to the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has threatened to deal with journalists who are members of the Correspondents’ Chapel.
The journalists were at the Palace of the Emir of Katagum, when the Governor visited the local government after a violent protest where hoodlums razed the Council Secretariat in Azare, the headquarters of Katagum LGA.
The incident occurred on Thursday inside the Palace when the journalists were trying to find where to record the Governor’s speech before an operative of the Department of State Service identified simply as Abdul ordered them to vacate the hall.
The journalists started looking for an alternative spot to get their job done within the palace before he went to them again to threaten them saying: “This is just the beginning.” This was even as the governor, in company with other dignitaries, was seated next to his host, the Emir of Katagum.
He further threatened: “You challenged me? You will see. This thing that you have done, this is the beginning,” much to the surprise of witnesses in the palace.
One of the journalists replied saying this sounds like a threat, but he maintained his utterance that he would deal with the journalists.
“He once molested me at a function, he is quite aggressive,” a Government House Press Crew journalist who pleaded anonymity said.
Recall that some of the security personnel of the Governor had on Thursday last week, brutalised a physically challenged person, Hamza Waziri, who is now being hospitalised at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.
Waziri was participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest in front of the government house. He was seen in a trending video clip where four police officers attached to the Government House entrance were assaulting him.
Also, Aisha Dogara, a resident of Bauchi who participated in the protest was assaulted with her clothes torn while bruises were seen all over her body.