The Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Issa Aremu, has cautioned media practitioners against sensational reportage that provides undeserved publicity to the cowardly activities of bandits and terrorists.
Aremu made the call on Sunday in Ilorin on the sidelines of his electronic membership registration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Baboko Ward, Ilorin West Local Government Area.
He said that the terror attacks on Woro and Nuku communities, which resulted in mass murder of residents, elicited humanitarian crisis, and tasks professionalism of journalists with respect to “ethics, balance and sobriety”.
”The government and people of Kwara are still grappling with the aftermath of the terror attack.
”Media coverage of terrorist attacks often influence public perception, journalists must remain measured, less sensational and resist according underserved oxygen of publicity to terrorists’ behavior that would further amplify fear among citizens inadvertently advancing the evil of the terrorists.”
Aremu said rather than promoting gory stories of deaths and destruction being the trademarks of cowardly extremists who operate in darkness, the media should bring to the fore the commendable efforts of the affected communities, state and the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to overcome the pain and stem the tide of attacks.
He commended the prompt response of both the Kwara State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria through security deployments, humanitarian aid to Woro and Nuku communities.
He, however, advised that efforts should be more on prevention through prompt actions on intelligence reports about plausible attacks.
“It is time for development approach to fighting terrorism through reclaiming ungoverned spaces through growth and development,” he said.
