Taraba State Governor, Col. Agbu Kefas (retd) has consoled the duo of Ayodele Samuel and Olayinka Gabriel over attacks on their facilities and a fire hazard. Samuel is the publisher of Taraba Truth and Fact and owner of Rock FM based in Jalingo, while Gabriel runs the Taraba News media conglomerate.
Samuel’s Rock FM’s station was stormed by hoodlums who carted away valuables in a mayhem around the station’s area. Gabriel, on the other hand, lost shops in a fire hazard on Friday.
In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Media, Emmanuel Bello, Dr Kefas lamented the unfortunate incidents. He said the two have been in the forefront of media excellence in the state. He said his government would continue its best to protect media practitioners in the state, stressing that a free press is one he would encourage.
The statement reads: “I received with sadness the news of attacks on facilities occupying the Rock FM offices and the fire hazard that gutted properties belong to the Taraba News publisher. While consoling the duo, let me reiterate our commitment to provide a healthy working space for the media to thrive in our state. Media practitioners should go about their activities without any fears of molestation. We shall do all our best to continue to make the state safer for all media people as we believe our administration would be better served by a the freedom of press.”
He stressed further that journalists welfare would be taken seriously to enable practitioners do their job as watchdogs.
