Date Published: 04/27/10

26th April 2010.

Press Release

Lagos AC Condemns Killing of The Nation’s Judiciary Correspondent.

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has condemned the gruesome murder of the judiciary correspondent of The Nation, Mr. Edo Sule Ugbagwu by unknown assassins in his Lagos home. The party says the killing is one too many and said something more fundamental needs be done to stop this endless circle of violence that targets newsmen.

In a release in Lagos, signed by the party’s Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the AC, Joe Igbokwe, the party describes the murder of Ugbagwu as deepening a frightening dimension in Nigeria where journalists have become easy preys to murderers and people without conscience who wants to suppress the truth by all means possible. The party therefore urges all relevant authorities to do everything to put a stop to this worsening situation that aims at fighting and suppressing the truth.

“Coming few months after the brutal assassination of Bayo Ohu of The Guardian, the killing of Ugbagwu is a brutal message the assassins that target newsmen for killing are sending to Nigerians. We condemn this brutal act in all its entirety and we urge the federal and Lagos State governments to do everything to unravel those that murdered Ugbagwu and make sure they are adequately punished to deter others that target newsmen for elimination from doing so.

“Lagos AC is overwhelmed with sadness that once again, another journalist has become the target of callous killers who target journalists for extermination. We are versed enough to know that the nation would be overwhelmed with grief for the momentary time to will take the sad event to remain in the mainstream of our national news and after that, we will all wait for another journalist to be killed and we follow in the same pattern of reaction. Meanwhile, the gory killer continues making a feast of newsmen and we continue wallowing in the same confusion of inaction. We remember that Godwin Agbroko, Bayo Ohu, Abayomi Ogundeji and many other journalists have been lost to this unending maze. We urge every law enforcement agency to work till the perpetrators of these evil acts are uncovered.

“Lagos AC is beginning to believe that a deadly cartel is in place now and the target remains newsmen who report events. We believe that this cartel targets at the jugular of truth and must be exposed and dealt with as soon as possible. We want the federal and state governments to work together to ensure that the murderers of Ugbagwu are brought to book. We want them to ensure that this evil circle is broken and the culprits uncovered and punished. We see this as the best possible way to stop what is becoming an evil circle of elimination of Nigerian journalists.”



Joe Igbokwe.

Publicity Secretary,

Lagos AC