Lagos LG chair denies assault on journalist at council secretariat

The Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos, Moyo Ogunlewe, has denied allegations that a journalist with MITV, Habeeb Adejobi, was attacked within the council secretariat in Lagos on Wednesday. Ogunlewe was reacting to online reports claiming that Adejobi was assaulted while attempting to cover the screening and swearing-in of supervisory councillors at the […]

The Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos, Moyo Ogunlewe, has denied allegations that a journalist with MITV, Habeeb Adejobi, was attacked within the council secretariat in Lagos on Wednesday.

Ogunlewe was reacting to online reports claiming that Adejobi was assaulted while attempting to cover the screening and swearing-in of supervisory councillors at the council.

In a statement on Thursday, the council chairman said he personally noticed the cameraman when he entered the premises and began setting up his camera.

Ogunlewe added that he was surprised to later hear claims that the same individual had been assaulted by people linked to him.

According to the chairman, it was embarrassing to suggest that the son of a former senator and minister, Adeseye Ogunlewe, would supervise the beating of a journalist.

“I saw a man setting up a camera in the premises and asked where he was from. He said he was from a television station but had no identification card to prove he was a journalist. He later showed a paper claiming he was from Arise TV, so I was surprised to read that he is now said to be from MITV,” he said.

A senior staff member of the local government also stated that the Divisional Police Officer of Ogudu Police Station asked the journalist to write a statement about the incident, but he could not provide one to support his claim.