The Zamfara State government has said it will work with key security agencies such as the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), to checkmate the activities of the media on insecurity.
The Commissioner of Information, Mallam Ibrahim Dosara, made this announcement at a joint press briefing with security agencies in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Thursday.
Dosara said he will also be part of the monitoring team, as well as security agencies of the state, and take appropriate action against any unprofessional conduct in ensuring compliance to professionalism in media practices among journalists practising in the state.
“Cognisance of the ill effects of fake news, unguarded utterances by members of both conventional and social media, the Zamfara state government, among its resolutions, recently adopted to take appropriate action against unprofessional conducts in media practices,” he said.
The state government realises that the print and electronic media activities, especially the social media handlers, undermine the peace process of the state government.
“Let me emphasize here that the state government will never continue to condone the unwholesome act.”
Consequent to this, the state commissioner of information and security chiefs in the state have been directed to monitor the conduct of media practitioners in the state.
“The Commissioner of Police, the DSS, the Civil defence and I, as commissioner, have been saddled with the responsibility of ensuring compliance to professionalism in media practices, as well as cyber crimes and the violation of public peace, fundamental human rights and the rule of law,” Dosara warned.
Dosara further stated that the killings, injuring and merciless loss of properties had also been made to be the most unornamented point in the state, and would not allow the destruction of the peace and progress.
The commissioner, meanwhile, applauded journalists working in line with the ethics of the profession, who give objective and balanced reports on all matters, especially security issues, and avoid arm-chair journalism and biased in their news reports. He also assured them of immediate responses to any issues.
