The

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned

the kidnapping of OLubunmi Oke, a television journalist in Nigeria. According to the Nigerian

Union of Journalists (NUJ), an IFJ affiliate, the reporter and

presenter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), her baby and maid were

taken Thursday March 21 by four men who blocked her car as she was leaving her

office in Akure, the capital of Ondo state (South West). Her baby and maid were

released later while the car was found in another town. The reason of the

kidnapping is unknown.

 “We are deeply concerned by the kidnapping of

our colleague. We call on security forces to do their best to ensure her safe

return. We stand in solidarity with her family and colleagues,” said Gabriel

Baglo, IFJ Africa director.

The

IFJ raises concern about the personal security of journalists in this context

of violence in some parts of the country.  On 26 April 2012, two suicide car bombs

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, were arrested and

detained by the security forces without clear charges. They have since been released. The journalist Ikechukwu Udendu, editor of Anambra News , a monthly newspaper,

was shot dead on Saturday 12 January 2013 by unknown persons.

 “We call on journalists to have personal

safety protocol and ask authorities to bring to court all perpetrators of attacks

against journalists,” Baglo added.

For

more information please contact: +221 33 867 95 86/87

The IFJ represents more than 600.000

Journalists in 134 countries in the World