The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has blacklisted the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, and two governors in its Book of Infamy.
It honoured the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi in the book
unveiled by Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday at the second annual conference of IPI Nigeria.
The two governors, who made up the list of three persons to first go into the Book of Infamy, were those of Akwa Ibom State, Imo Eno; and Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago.
While Egbetokun was said to have failed to heed the calls by IPI to stop the arbitrary arrests of journalists nationwide by his operatives, Eno barred the crew of Channels TV from covering the activities of the Akwa Ibom State Government House.
Bago ordered the closure of Badeggi FM, a private radio station.
Despite the appeal by IPI Nigeria for reconsideration of their decisions, which they had no powers to, both Bago and Eno refused to back down, the group said.
The DG of the DSS, was described as a listening head of a sensitive government agency who has listened to interventions by the IPI and corrected wrongdoings pointed out to him.
Top on the list of such was the removal from the government’s watchlist of the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, after 40 years.
Ajayi was also credited with the quick release of journalists wrongly arrested by the secret police.
Vice President Shettima said he would reach out to all those accused of having breached the rights of journalists.
He invited President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, to travel with him to Akwa Ibom State, where he would be visiting soon, to resolve the issue Eno had with Channels Television.
