Rivers Correspondents’ Chapel petitions CP over harassment of vendors

Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt

The Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Rivers State Chapter, has petitioned the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Zaki, over the harassment of vendors by some of the Divisional Police Officers, DPO, in the state.

The affected DPOs who include those of Oyigbo, Elelenwo, Elekahia, Rumuodunanya, have for months running allegedly refused to allow vendors displaying newspapers for sale at strategy points within their jurisdictions do their businesses.

The correspondents’ Chapel, made up of all the journalists representing national newspapers operating in Rivers State, but whose newspaper organizations are based outside the state, mentioned specifically the Oyigbo DPO who was alleged to have arrested three of the vendors and detained them for several days, demanding a total of N60, 000 for their bail.

Reports reaching the newsmen, the petition read, had it that one of them was later released on payment of N10, 000, which the wife borrowed from their pastor.

The petition which was copied to the Department of State Services and the State Commissioner for Information and Communication stated that for over one month running the DPOs had refused to allow the vendors to display or sell their papers at the various areas where they had been selling the news papers for several decades.

According to the petition signed by Sir Ernest Chinwo, Chairman, and Mr. Amaechi Okonkwo, Secretary of the chapel, “The DPO of Elelenwo was reported to have vowed that he would never allow the vendor who displayed at the Elelenwo Junction to sell newspapers challenging the press to go ahead and write whatever they wished. He was said to have boasted that not even the governor of state could force him to do otherwise.”

The correspondents stated that the matter was worsened by the fact that the mentioned DPOs had not given any reason for their actions, appealing to the Commissioner to use his good offices to resolve the matter by calling his officers to order and end their continued harassment of the vendors who were only performing their legitimate duties.

“Newspapers only publicise events and happenings in the society and in no way harm anyone or disturb the peace and security of the state,” the correspondents stated, adding “the police and journalists are partners in progress and harassing or muscling vendors who sell our papers amount to throwing spanner in this mutual relationship with the police.”

They called for the immediate intervention of the Commissioner of Police to end the misunderstanding and allow the vendors to return to their stands.