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Demands Public Apology
- Safiu Kehinde
A group of Nigerian Muslim businessmen and professionals have condemned renowned broadcast station, Channels Television, over what they considered insensitive reportage of the bomb explosion at a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Christmas Eve.
The group, under the aegis of the Companion, expressed their shock over the report which had attracted mass condemnation from members of the public.
NPO Reported that a suicide bomber had last Wednesday detonated a bomb at the Gamboru mosque during the evening prayer.
The incident claimed the lives of five worshippers with over 32 others injured.
While Channels TV had covered the incident like every other media outlet, its editorial decision on the headline had however sparked public outrage, especially from Muslim communities.
The headline, which read, “Many feared Dead as Bomb Blast Rocks Maiduguri On Christmas Eve”, was considered insensitive with its emphasis on Christmas Eve without reference to Mosque where the attack occurred or the Muslim worshippers who are the victims of the attack.
Joining other dissenting voices, the Companion, in a statement jointly signed by its National Amir, Imam Nojmideen Jimoh, and National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tunde Akanni, slammed Channels TV over the alleged unprofessional reportage.
The group accused the station of failing to capture the true essence and scale of the carnage.
It alleged that the report, beyond editorial slip, had worsened a lopsided public perception of Nigeria’s security situation, particularly with the ongoing controversial narratives of alleged Christian genocide in the country.
The Companion held that Channels TV’s angle to the story contradicted the principles of Conflict Sensitive Journalism, as championed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
It called on the broadcast station to publicly apologise to Nigerian Muslims for the lack of precision.
The group also urged the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as the renowned Society for Peace Studies and Practice, SPSP, to support Channels TV with sessions on Conflict Sensitive Journalism.
The statement read; “The Companion muslim group wishes to express its shock and unreserved condemnation regarding the unprofessional and insensitive reportage by Channels Television of the tragic bombing of a mosque and the loss of numerous Muslim lives in Maiduguri on Christmas Eve.
“The reporting of such a sensitive event requires the highest level of accuracy, yet the narrative presented by Channels Television failed to capture the true essence and scale of the carnage at the house of worship.
“By glossing over the specifics of the Maiduguri Mosque bombing, the station has worsened a lopsided public perception of the security situation. This is more than a mere editorial slip. It is a fundamental failure to provide a thorough account of events, especially when those events involve the loss of lives during a period of heightened religious and emotional sensitivity.
“This approach runs directly contrary to the principles of Conflict Sensitive Journalism, as championed by UNESCO. Professionalism dictates that in a volatile environment; journalists must report in a way that must consciously be supportive of de-escalating tensions.
“It becomes viciously self-serving when a broadcaster like Channels fails to accurately report the bombing of a mosque and the killing of worshippers. It creates a vacuum of information that can be filled by misinformation, further polarizing the society.
“The Companion views this recklessness by Channels as an exacerbation of an already tense national atmosphere which Channels itself may not survive if it chooses to sustain this devious brand of reporting.
“To ignore or under-report the targeted killing of Muslims in Maiduguri on the eve of Christmas is to fail the test of inclusivity and social responsibility. It suggests a hierarchy of victimhood that has no place in a professional newsroom or a democratic society.
“We call on the management of Channels Television to immediately offer a sincere apology to Nigerian Muslims for the lack of precision, and utter disregard for professionalism and even the Christian ethos they seem to be obsessed with.
“We therefore urge the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as the renowned Society for Peace Studies and Practice, SPSP, to support Channels TV with sessions on Conflict Sensitive Journalism, hoping they are open to redemption. Nigeria cannot afford a media establishment like Channels that appears to have abandoned peace for self-defined biases constituting a huge disgrace to Nigerian journalism.