President Muhammadu Buhari has described Precious Owolabi, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member with Channels Television, and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usman Umar, of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, who died during the violent protest by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in Abuja yesterday, July 22 as vibrant with promising future.In a condolence message through his spokesman, Femi Adesina, President Buhari stressed that Owolabi and Usman Umar were law-abiding, hardworking and vibrant Nigerians with a promising future, describing their untimely death as “sad, regrettable and worrisome.”
The President, who condoled with the management and staff of the television station and police leadership, advised residents of Abuja in particular and the country in general to go about their lawful activities without fear as he had already directed the leadership of security and law enforcement agencies to safeguard the nation against such mindless attacks.
He added that perpetrators of the mayhem will not go unpunished and that no government can tolerate unceasing affront to constituted authority.
“Let nobody or group doubt or test our will to act in the higher interest of majority of our citizens.”
Also, the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, has expressed profound sadness over the avoidable loss of lives in the violent clash of members of Islamic Movement in Nigeria with security agents deployed to maintain law and order in Abuja yesterday July 22.
Senator Lawan, in a statement by his special adviser on media, Mr. Ola Awoniyi expressed his condolences to the management of Channels Television on the tragic death of their reporter, saying that it is tragic that a brilliant life and professional prospect was abruptly cut short in a manner that diminishes us as citizens of a democratic nation.
He condoled with the family of Owolabi, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the painful loss of their son, member and colleague even as he also condoled with the family of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usman Umar and the Nigeria Police over the death of their son during the incident.
This was even as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council expressed deep sadness over Owolabi’s death. It described July 22 as another sad day for the journalism profession in Nigeria.
“The death of Precious Owolabi signifies how brutish and short life has become in Nigeria and signposts the danger faced by journalists daily in carrying out the constitutional mandate of holding government and its officials accountable to Nigerians,” a statement by the NUJ Chairman, Emmanuel Ogbeche.
According to Ogbeche, the federal government should take responsibility for the senseless death of Owolabi as it was its constitutional duty to safeguard his welfare and security as well as those of other Nigerians.
He called on the federal government to demonstrate its seriousness in addressing the pervading insecurity by finding an amicable resolution to the grievances of the IMN to avoid further needless deaths in the country.
The NUJ chairman said that while death was inevitable, journalists should always take into account the environment they were reporting from and not become the ‘story.’
Ogbeche expressed the hope that the government will compensate the family of the deceased who was on a national assignment.
