Journalists Denied Access to ABU’s 45th Convocation in Zaria

Journalists were on Saturday barred from covering the 45th Convocation ceremony of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, by the institution’s security division.

Correspondents from several media organisations, including the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Daily Trust, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC), Nagarta Radio and NTA Zaria, were denied entry into the Mamman Kontagora Square, the venue of the ceremony.

A university security officer, identified as Mr C.K., told NAN that he was acting on the directive of the Chief Security Officer, Malam Ashiru Zango, to prevent journalists from accessing the venue.

According to him, media personnel were required to obtain clearance from the Vice-Chancellor before being allowed entry, despite presenting valid staff identity cards and official accreditation tags issued by the university.

The affected journalists protested the decision, insisting that they had been duly accredited to cover the convocation.

Following the incident, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) intervened and made efforts to reach the university’s Director of Public Affairs, Malam Auwalu Umar.

Umar reportedly assured the journalists that he would intervene to resolve the issue and facilitate media access to the venue.

However, as of the time of filing this report, some journalists had left the convocation ground in protest over what they described as an unacceptable restriction on press coverage.