Presidency Bars PUNCH, Others From Covering Buhari’s Benue Visit
About 30 correspondents from various media organisations are in the state , but only seven handpicked media organisations were allowed to cover the President’ s visit.
Our correspondent , who had gone to the Benue State Government House in the early hours of the day , was told that his organisation was not among those allowed to cover the visit .
Checks revealed that there was a directive from the Presidency to restrict the number of media organisations to cover the visit to seven .
The media allowed to cover the visit are The News Agency of Nigeria , Daily Sun, Voice of Nigeria , Daily Trust , Leadership, The Guardian and Daily Independent .
No reason was given for the decision .
Our correspondent noted that security operatives from Abuja took over the activities at the state ’ s seat of government.
Apart from journalists , invited stakeholders were turned back at the third gate of the Government House where security, mainly operatives of the Department of State Services, checked the names of guests against a list they clutched jealously.
Some protesting youths , who had stormed the venue to register their grievances over incessant killings in the state , were sent away by security men, while their placards were seized .
One of the protesters , Jonah Kwaor , who described the operatives as overzealous, said, “We wanted the President to know the magnitude of the senseless killings in our communities , but security men, including the police , drove us away and seized some of our placards .”
Members of the Peace Corps , who attempted to enter the Government House to appeal to the President to rescind his decision and sign the Peace Corps bill , were prevented from entering .
It was gathered that the itinerary of the President was adjusted as his visit to the state Chairman of the state traditional council, Tor Tiv, Prof . James Ayatse, was cancelled.
Also the President’ s scheduled visit to the Internally Displaced People ’ s camp at Gbamjiba , in the Guma Local Government Area was reportedly put off .
Copyright PUNCH .
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