Nigerian Immigration Service Officers Assault Journalist Joy Odigie, a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was assaulted by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Benin during a visit to the Edo command of the service. Odigie was there to interview the command's Public Relations Officer, Ake Kenneth, regarding a reported burglary of several offices within the command.
Sources revealed that the affected offices included the border unit, technical section, and the National Identification Number (NIN) unit. Over the weekend, hoodlums reportedly vandalized electrical cables and equipment in these offices, making off with several items, including money stored in a safe. One of the perpetrators was apprehended by officers on duty on Monday.
When Odigie arrived at the command, she was confronted by officers at the reception area who questioned her purpose. Despite having passed through security, the officers called her back from the staircase, demanding to search her under the suspicion that she might be carrying a bomb.
"I told them that I was a journalist and wanted to see the PRO," Odigie recounted. "One of them acknowledged that I was a journalist but insisted on searching me, causing a scene and embarrassing me."
The situation escalated when more officers gathered, and a female officer demanded that Odigie meet with an unspecified superior. When Odigie asked for the name of this superior, the female officer responded with derogatory remarks, referring to Odigie as a "stupid albino," a discriminatory term for someone with albinism.
Odigie protested the insult, prompting the officers to assault her and confiscate her belongings. One armed officer forcibly dragged her outside the office, causing her umbrella to fall, which was then taken by another officer.
Distressed, Odigie contacted the PRO, Ake Kenneth, who intervened and requested the return of her umbrella. Kenneth also issued an apology for the incident and extended the same to Odigie.
This assault on a journalist highlights issues of misconduct and the need for better training and accountability within the Nigerian Immigration Service.
