by Stanley Azuakola
As council polls held across Akwa Ibom State today, two journalists covering the polls in Eket, Southern Akwa Ibom, were brutalised by the police at the Eket Office of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC)
The order to brutalise the journalists was given by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Eket, Idowu Owohunwa, who ordered his men to deal with the journalists after a brief discussion with them. The victims are a district correspondent of NAN and editor of News Net, an Akwa Ibom-based tabloid.
According to reports by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the reporters sustained serious injuries after the beating by the police officers.
Apart from injuries, the journalists also lost various valuables including a digital camera in the incident.
The reporters were declined attention at the Divisional Police Headquarters when they approached the policemen on duty to make a formal report of the incident.
According to the policemen on duty, they had instructions from the DPO not to receive such reports.
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