Two Nigerian journalist brutalised by South African police | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Wednesday 13 February 2013

Two Nigerian journalist brutalised by South African police

Two Nigerian journalists covering the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) were kicked, dragged on the ground, threatened with cocked guns and forcibly detained for two hours by officers of the South African police in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Debo Oshudun, Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for Central and Southern Africa and John Joshua Akanji, a Deputy Editor of The Sun Newspapers were onboard a taxi on their way to cover the departure of the AFCON winners Super Eagles when shortly after they both alighted, they were surrounded by no less than 20 fully armed South African police officers who threatened to shoot them after they insisted they were Journalists.
 
The duo, who narrated their story to SportingLife, were grateful to God for sparing their lives.
“I thank God we are still alive because we could have been shot, knowing the type of (extra-) judicial killings in South Africa. I have never been in that situation in my life. I was dragged on the floor, kicked and brutalised. I and John Joshua-Akanji were disposed of our phones, my keys and we couldn’t contact anybody. We were detained for two hours and I was really traumatised throughout the time the police dealt with us and still imagining it up till now.
“The police claimed that they stopped our car because the taxi we were in had a number plate with two different characters. Immediately they stopped us they removed the number plate. They lied that they had been trailing us,” Oshundun told SportingLife in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.
Joshua-Akanji had to miss his South African Airways flight due to the torture he received from the South African Police.
 
The Sun Newspaper Deputy Editor also narrated his ordeal to SportingLife in Johannesburg yesterday.
“I was in a trance. I thought I was acting out a movie. I never thought it was for real. I have never seen a thing like this in all my life. But I am happy to be alive to tell the story”, the visibly shaken journalist disclosed. 20 policemen, who had already cocked their guns and pointed them to my head and my colleague Oshundun’s, were shouting ‘I will shoot you, I will shoot you. Who are you? Do you think you are special? I will blast your brains off’”, Joshua-Akanji revealed.
 
Lieutenant Colonel M. F. Tshabalala station commander, Sandringham Command South African Police Service, SAPS, later apologised for the treatment meted out on the Nigeria Journalists.
It took the intervention of the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg to secure the release of both men. There are no indications yet, if the Journalists will press charges against the South African Police.
 
The two journalists however commended Hope, the South African taxi driver for daring his country’s police by rising to the defence of the Nigerians. “These men are responsible journalists that have come here to cover the AFCON. They are like brothers to me. I ate and dinned with them. They have been wonderful to me as a South African. Why are you treating them this way? It’s not fair! it’s not fair!”, Hope is said to have cried out while the policemen were brutalising the Nigerians.

Source: Sporting Life

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heard it on tv. God really saved dem oh. Dey said d name Nigeria even prompted d harsh treatment. Shey wen we like carrying our matter 2 anoda mans land,y won't dey assume we re all criminals. Lord help dis country.

Anonymous said...

Am nt surprised... All about south africa has always bin Racial Discrimination

Marcel Duplexis said...

Bloody xenophobic south africans. The journalists should press charges.

Anonymous said...

Thank God for your life, my friend's hubby Debo Oshundun aka Big Dee.

Myne said...

It seems the police everywhere are the same :(

Anonymous said...

Dis call for a thanks given seriously...so many people have gone this way...God help us all

Anonymous said...

Na bad belle dey worry dem. Thank God we won the trophy with or without their support

Anonymous said...

Lol! Thnk God for life but i think there is more to this story

Anonymous said...

The police men are just ajegunle agberos. They should be sued in court immediately for that margamized act.

Anonymous said...

Some system don't recognise what's fair nd not fair ,this is a one in a million cases where people re harrased for being bloody civilian , thnk goodness u came out unscarttered.............

Anonymous said...

Na wa oh, so much hate for our naija brothers in SA.

★★PRINCE CHARMING™★★ said...

Cruelty!! They should just come back home and thank God they are alive, I am very sure the Nigerian consulate over there would have nothing to do about this as usual, smh..

PRINCE PAUL said...

dose SouthAfrican police ar notin but European bull dogs. i kno dey were jealos of our winning d cup, but we rule Africa eniway. D way South iz goin dey might lose all our billateral rship. It was same south dat sent nigeriabs bak on d ground of disease. are dey LEARNERS

Anonymous said...

WELL THIS IS NOT NEWS, NIGERIAN POLICE WOULD HAVE SHOT THEM AS THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISPOSED OF THEIR PHONES, MONIES AND OTHER ITEMS AND LATER COVER UP BY SAYING THAT, THEY ARE ARMED ROBBERS. THAT IS HOW THEY SHOT TO DEATH THAT LAWYER IN LEKKI AND BURNT HIS CAR AND LATER LIED THAT HE WAS AN ARMED ROBBER.

Anonymous said...

My head is spinning just reading this story..How come we treat foreigners with so much L♥√ع and respect and yet always get this kinds of treatment in return esp when we're out of Nigeria? Those bastards have to pay for this,The journalists should press charges against them..I think south Africans generally are not too different from animals..They're very violent

Pretty Girl

Anonymous said...

I am waiting to read peoples comments on dis,cos if this were to b a non african country yall wil b screamin "injustice against blacks" by now.so wetin una go call dis one?? Hehehehehe see dem see death!Tank God for ur lives my brothers oo

Anonymous said...

It may have been harder for them...to ask for Egunje/Roger...abi, wetin dem dey call Roger for SA?

Of course they should press charges straightaway!
74

Unknown said...

There is this deep hate south africans have for Nigerians, its not today... My uncle has been a victim, its been happening for a long time. Even in the club, if a dj starts playing Nigerian jams, they beat him up.

BONARIO NNAGS said...

When South African policemen handle u,u'll know Nigerian policemen are their brothers keeper.lolz from a friend of mine.

~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310

Inside Nollywood said...

May Amadioha strike down ur panties! Nonsense, which kind transfer of aggression be that?

Anonymous said...

Pls can they just press charges against them, pls let dem do, enuf of dis brutality on journalists.

yy said...

I dnt understand ur story linda. Why were the being brutalized in the first place.

Admin said...

Blacks prejudicing Black. What a pity. My JEHOVAH has gotta gba control

teeteelahyo said...

Why are south Africans so mad at nigerians? Or do we seem like a threat to them?

Anonymous said...

This is a result of the weakness we portray to the world. Our people are treated anyhow even in Africa. Nigeria, stand up and reclaim your greatness. This should not be happening to Nigerians. Especially, not after all we did for South Africa during Apartheid and what we have done for Africa as a whole. Our men in uniform are dying in Mali as you read this.

Anonymous said...

South africans dnt just like nigerians y d beef,I observed their president was even boning when we won d afcon.may God forgive dem afterr giving dem

Queen Bee said...

Most South Africans are sadists!
they are always jealous and threatened by nigerians +their cops believe nigerians are carrying one illegal thing or the other,so their (equally corrupt cops)are always eager to harrass nigerians but still collect bribe in the end o*imagine*
it would have been worse if the cab man wasn't there!wicked pple.

Anonymous said...

If this had happened in Nigeria, we no go hear word. What happened to the most organised country in africa?
Abeg africans will always be africans wether na Naija or South-African.

Maxwell.

Chidozie Mario said...

Why do South Africans think they can treat Nigerians as second class citizens? I think Nigerian government should rise up to the occasion.
Seven Things Not To Do on Valentine’s Day

Unknown said...

Justice must be done! Gbamm!!!! Dey must be charged to court

Unknown said...

South Africa no b Nigeria b4 they didn't tell u .they waste human beings like BokoHaram

Arinze said...

Nigerians you hate Igbos (igbo will never be president etc) Now Africans and the rest of the world hate you Nigerians. Why are you complaining. Remove the log in your own eyes Nigerians. Stop the hate.

Anonymous said...

Funny....you can still make a joke of this one. :( SMH

Adeagbo Kabir said...

It's glaring this people (SA) are always beefing us. Imaging those people that are directly or indirecty dependent on us, thinking they are too special to associate with Naija. No wonder, their visa is so hard to obtain. Let Nigeria send them to coventry. By that, they will learn their lesson. "A NROJU JEKO OBUN, OBUN TUN DEKO E KERE"

Adeagbo Kabir said...

It's glaring this people (SA) are always beefing us. Imaging those people that are directly or indirecty dependent on us, thinking they are too special to associate with Naija. No wonder, their visa is so hard to obtain. Let Nigeria send them to coventry. By that, they will learn their lesson. "A NROJU JEKO OBUN, OBUN TUN DEKO E KERE"

Anonymous said...

yet mitv wont stop disturbing us with SA tinz.who dey watch am sef?

Anonymous said...

This Could have easily played out in Nigeria....Nigerian police are no different.

Anonymous said...

May God punish dem. After all what we did for years back.

Anonymous said...

In SA they call it *Make a plan*

Anonymous said...

Nigeria is a very free country.We accommodate any foreigner but we are being treated as animals elsewhere.Nigeria govt is the cause of our calamity,if our country is not as bad as it is.we would gain respect in diaspora

Anonymous said...

Imagine!..ordinary south africa..see how hungry they look

Anonymous said...

Black man is wicked evrywhere

VEXED said...

I'm really really vexed at this!!!! Absolutely nonsensical! I wish they can press charged and get justice done! Thank God they were not shot. There wouldn't have been someone to live to tell the story. We would have gotten this story all twisted.....MSCHEWWWWWW

Anonymous said...

i really dont understand this hate on Nigerians. i am in SA but i dont tell them that am frm Naija.the first time i told one of them am Nigerian,the next i heard is ,i hate Nigerians they are crooks,they re this, they are that. na wa ooo

Anonymous said...

i really dont understand this hate on Nigerians. i am in SA but i dont tell them that am frm Naija.the first time i told one of them am Nigerian,the next i heard is ,i hate Nigerians they are crooks,they re this, they are that. na wa ooo

Anonymous said...

This news made me remember a day i was chased by South African gangs early in the morning (someone was even asking me how did i run with my Jalabia). South African police hates Nigerians to the extent that if they raided across Gauteng (Pretoria) to be precised, they would separate Naija from the rest of the people (Oto laye wa). So many things are happening in South Africa that even beyond what is happening in Naija.

They can rob u in a broad daylight and people will be passing by (only in SA).

*Second class citizen people in their motherland*

Anonymous said...

This news made me remember a day i was chased by South African gangs early in the morning (someone was even asking me how did i run with my Jalabia). South African police hates Nigerians to the extent that if they raided across Gauteng (Pretoria) to be precised, they would separate Naija from the rest of the people (Oto laye wa). So many things are happening in South Africa that even beyond what is happening in Naija.

They can rob u in a broad daylight and people will be passing by (only in SA).

*Second class citizen people in their motherland*

You this Fucking Nigerian, you only come to your America in Africa, Africa is too big, u must go back to your country (Amakwerekwere).

Anonymous said...

It obvious they came for the nigerians, cos d cab is nt their's and they didn't even do anything 2 d cab driver...WTF, first do no dey pain o.

Anonymous said...

Becoz of the rape cozed by fucking nigerians in our country

Passnownow said...

Terrible South African police! Wonder which police force is worse, Nigeria or South Africa???!


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Passnownow said...

Terrible South African police! Wonder which police force is worse, Nigeria or South Africa???!


Get JAMB/WAEC Past Questions and Answers online... Visit Passnownow.com NOW!

Anonymous said...

Thanksgiving, olodo.... Wasted years in primary/secondary and university, yet u can't spell simple english, smh

Anonymous said...

Mumu, in someone elses country?

Anonymous said...

What rape? Southafrican in nigeria r being treated like kings and u have d guts to say nigerians have something to do with rape in ur country? Without nigeria do u thing there would have been a black ruling southafrican state? Nigeria mouted so much pressure on the UN and d international comunities to see an end to apathied and ur so called policemen have d guts to detain nigerian journalists? This should be a wakeup call to the nigerian southafrican ambasador to make sure that they pay for what they did! DSTV,MTN and a bunch of other southafrican companies r here milking nigerians and they can't treat us with a little respect? Shame on the ambasador if he doesn't do smthing abt this.

Anonymous said...

You ought to be ashamed of urself for not telling them where ur from. If u r not a criminal why shut up? Tell them ur a nigerian and u r not a crook!! I know many nigerians who r up standing and law abiding but will deny being nigerian because some bad apples r giving them a bad name! The biggest gangsters and murderers r armericans and u will see an upstanding armarican citizen being proud of his country! Nigerians had better learn to be proud of where they r from especially the upstanding citizens so that ppl will know that all nigerians aren't criminals.

Anonymous said...

Rape? R u serious? U call it rape? U bitches are too loose to be raped!

Anonymous said...

These south africans don dey show themselves too much ah! ah! Is it our fault we are d giants of africa ni? or na our fault say we kicked asses to win the AFCON CUP... Haters.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for dis reply..they r too loose nd free to b raped..its even the south african men who rape d young innocent one..by innocent I mean ages 0 to 9.lol

Anonymous said...

I'm an SA journalist married to an SA man. I have met the 2 Nigerian journalists b4. They should sue the cops. What they went thru is not a special treatment reserved for Nigerians only.

My husband also suffered de same, in a case of mistaken identity. Sue them my fellow journos, sue them. We live in fear of those chosen n trained 2 protect us.

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