The International Federation of

Journalists (IFJ) today has vigorously condemned the killing of a journalist in

the Nigerian city of Onithsa (Anambra state, South East).

According to Nigeria Union of Journalists

(NUJ) an IFJ affiliate, the journalist Ikechukwu Udendu, editor of Anambra News a monthly newspaper, was

shot dead on Saturday 12 January 2013 by unknown persons.  

“We strongly condemn the killing of Ikechukwu

Udendu and stand in solidarity with his family and colleagues.  Nigeria has become a country of

impunity for those who have attacked and killed journalists. This is a real press freedom regress.

The Government must investigate thoroughly the circumstances of his death and

bring his killers to justice,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director.  

Udendu was shot while on his way to supervise

the printing of his newspaper. The Nigeria union of journalists believes the

act is dastardly as perpetrators made an anonymous phone call to Chukwulozie

Udendu, the elder brother of Ikechukwu Udendu, asking him to go and retrieve

the dead body.

“This is shocking to the Union as daily

there are clear signals of such attacks on media professionals who work mostly

without any insurance cover. Journalists now live in perpetual fear of being

either arrested by security operatives or attacked by faceless assailants without

any just cause,” said Muhammad Garba, NUJ national president.

The IFJ believes that Nigeria is facing

a spark of violence on which media professionals are victims. On 26 April 2012,

two suicide car bombers targeted offices of Nigerian newspaper This Day in Abuja and a Media house in

Kaduna.  Arrests of journalists are also

frequent. On 24 December 2012, journalists Musa Muhammad Awwal and Aliyu Saleh

from weekly Al-Mizan, a Hausa-language newspaper, have been arrested and

detained by the security forces without clear charges. They were recently

released.

“In the decade, various forms of attacks

against journalists have taken place, yet not a single case has been

satisfactorily investigated and persecuted by the security personnel,” Garba

added. “This is very unacceptable, and we therefore appeal to the concerned

authorities to ensure that such attacks are properly investigated and culprits

brought to book,” he concluded.

For more information contact the IFJ on

+221 33 867 95 86/87

The IFJ represents more than 600.000

journalists in 134 countries