A Nigerian soldier on Tuesday treatened to “stab” and “kill” Daniel Ojukwu, an FIJ journalist, for filming how soldiers forced civilians to alight from bikes and vehicles, and walk past a checkpoint in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State with their hands raised.
Ojukwu, who is covering the ongoing Anambra State supplementary election, had stepped out of Uzuoakwa to head to a different ward before it began to rain. When the rain got heavier, he took shelter in a shop that sells phone accessories, and observed ongoings at a military checkpoint a short distance away from Ward 19. He was filming how soldiers forced civilians to alight from their vehicles when the vexed soldier charged for him.
“Why you go video us?” he screamed.
“I will kill you here now and nothing will happen. I go use this knife tear you up now, I swear to God.
“Go and ask, I killed one journalist in Maiduguri last month. Your business na election, no be to cover our work. You’re stupid. If you say anything here again, I swear to God, I will kill you and nothing will happen.
“This morning when INEC dey go polling unit, I stop them. My oga call me dey beg. He no use force, na beg he beg me to allow them enter.”
He then forced our reporter to delete videos taken at the scene and many others taken earlier today, saying, “You no get report for today. Oya cross over, just dey waka go that side, I no wan see you anywhere here again.”
He then gave an instruction: “You either bail yourself or I’ll go detain you in a cell.”
‘Bail yourself,’ to the journalist’s surprise, was not a demand for money; it was for him to leave Ihiala.
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