Despite being accredited to cover the event, cameraman Taiwo Yishau was savagely assaulted by ruling party activists at a major rally of the All People's Congress.
This statement was originally published on mediarightsagenda.org on 27 February 2023.
A cameraman with Trust Television, Mr. Taiwo Yishau, was on February 21, 2023 brutalised by some hoodlums at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag bearer, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s grand finale campaign rally.
Despite displaying his press tag issued by the APC, Taiwo was stopped from entering the venue of the rally even after explaining that he was duly assigned and accredited to cover the event. The hoodlums attacked and beat him up at one of the gates to the Stadium. He was hit several times by the gang of hoodlums who accused him of forging the accreditation tag.
Narrating his ordeal, he said that: “The worst thing is that policemen watched while the thugs descended on me.”
He explained one of the bouncers who were hired to man the gate handed him over to the thugs who beat him mercilessly, insisting he was working for the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“They said I’m working for the opposition and policemen were there while this lasted. I showed them the press tag given to us by the APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Seye Oladejo yesterday but they said it is fake, that I forged the tag.”
According to him, the thugs claimed he was working for the opposition party and demanded that he show them the previous works he had done for APC while they kept beating him.
“I couldn’t believe it. Their intention was to kill me and the policemen kept watching as if nothing was happening. They didn’t say anything. While the beating continued, I was trying to protect my camera and my phone; they kept beating me, saying I’m an opposition member,” he added.
