{"id":158980,"date":"2025-04-09T22:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T21:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists"},"modified":"2025-04-15T12:29:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T11:29:30","slug":"take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists","title":{"rendered":"Take it Back Protest: Police condemn personnel attack on journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The Rivers State Police Command has condemned the assault of some Port Harcourt-based journalists by police officers during a recent protest organised by supporters of the Take-It-Back movement in Port Harcourt.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the command, the police described the incident as \u201cunfortunate\u201d and assured that a full and thorough investigation into the matter had commenced. The command distanced itself from any form of overzealous or unprofessional conduct, reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on such behaviour.<\/p>\n

According to the statement signed by the command\u2019s Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, preliminary findings have led to the identification of some personnel involved, who are currently undergoing questioning as part of the ongoing inquiry.<\/p>\n

The command stated that it was aware of the planned protest and had \u201cproactively deployed officers to ensure adequate security for all citizens, residents, peace-loving members of the public, and, most importantly, members of the press.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement added that the police presence at the protest site was crucial in preventing criminal elements from hijacking what was intended to be a peaceful demonstration.<\/p>\n

SP Iringe-Koko emphasised that the Rivers State Police Command holds journalists in the highest regard, recognising their critical role in promoting peace, security, and development through their reporting and public enlightenment efforts.<\/p>\n

The command acknowledged the longstanding relationship and collaborative efforts shared with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and expressed regret over any actions that may have strained this bond.<\/p>\n

The statement assured that the matter would be treated \u201cwith the seriousness it deserves and will not be swept under the carpet.\u201d It further pledged that, upon conclusion of the investigation, the findings and measures taken would be made public.<\/p>\n

SP Iringe-Koko reiterated the command\u2019s commitment to protecting lives and property across Rivers State and pledged continued professionalism, empathy, and respect for human rights in the discharge of police duties.<\/p>\n

DAILY POST recalls that journalists covering the \u201cTake it Back\u201d protest on Monday were tear-gassed, while a Channels TV reporter, Charles Opurum, was beaten and arrested, but was later released.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Rivers State Police Command has condemned the assault of some Port Harcourt-based journalists by police officers during a recent protest organised by supporters of the Take-It-Back movement in Port Harcourt. In a statement issued on Wednesday by the command, the police described the incident as \u201cunfortunate\u201d and assured that a full […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":158979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[1024,254,165],"class_list":["post-158980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-journalist","tag-nigeria","tag-police"],"yoast_head":"\nTake it Back Protest: Police condemn personnel attack on journalists - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Rivers State Police Command has condemned the assault of some Port Harcourt-based journalists by police officers dur ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take it Back Protest: Police condemn personnel attack on journalists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Rivers State Police Command has condemned the assault of some Port Harcourt-based journalists by police officers dur ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-09T21:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-15T11:29:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744224374.177263.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Take it Back Protest: Police condemn personnel attack on journalists\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-09T21:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-15T11:29:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\"},\"wordCount\":363,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744224374.177263.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Journalist\",\"Nigeria\",\"Police\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/take-it-back-protest-police-condemn-personnel-attack-on-journalists\",\"name\":\"Take it Back Protest: Police condemn personnel attack on journalists - 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