Benin City – October 27, 2009

Students at Irrua Special Teaching Hospital

As reported by Patrick Ochoga of Leadership Nigeria , Journalists who hadgone to cover the press briefing by resident doctors at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) were rough-handled by the security personnel attached to the hospital.

Many of the medical staff at the hospital had gone on strike to protest inadequate training and treatment of staff as compared with management.

See additional details on this story from AllAfrica.com

(Thanks to Gina Robbins for locating this story)

[Reposted from the UN News Centre]

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom

Ohu, a 45-year-old assistant news editor at influential private daily The Guardian, was shot dead September 20 by unidentified gunmen as he answered a knock at the front door of his house in a northern suburb of Lagos.

today condemned the recent killing of a Nigerian news editor, and called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Bayo Ohu, the assistant news editor of the Nigerian daily newspaper, The Guardian, was shot dead in his home on 20 September as he was preparing to attend church, according to a news release issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“The shooters removed the victim’s laptop and mobile phone from the house, leading to speculation that the killing may have been linked to his work as a journalist, according to the International Press Institute (IPI),” the news release added.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura spoke out against the killing, stating that freedom of expression is a basic human right and its corollary, press freedom, is essential for democracy and rule of law.

Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO

“Therefore, I trust that the authorities, in the interest of the whole of Nigerian society, will do all they can to bring the culprits of this crime to justice,” Mr. Matsuura said.

See the latest news on Bayo Ohu

(Thanks to Gina Robbins)