Yusufu Idegu, a correspondent of The
Nation Newspaper, has dismissed reports that he circulated a false story
about Danladi Ciroma, north-central chairman of the Miyetti Allah
Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
Idegu’s report
on Ciroma describing the killings in Plateau as retaliation for 300
rustled cows and loss of some herders’ lives had generated controversy.
Although Ciroma admitted that he spoke with the reporter, he alleged that he was quoted out of context.
“We
talked on phone. Sincerely speaking, what that boy wrote was not what I
told him. We did not speak on reprisal attacks,” Leadership quoted
Ciroma as saying.
The Nigerian media was subjected to severe criticism, with the presidency accusing it of fuelling tension.
But in a statement on Tuesday, Idegu maintained that Ciroma made the utterances widely circulated in the media.
Below is the statement:
PREMIUM
TIMES in their apology to Miyetti Allah last week which went viral, I
did commented that they were unnecessarily in a hurry to conclude their
investigation on the denial of Danladi Ciroma who granted me interview. I
still insist that that so-called investigation by is so shallow and
strange.
If you read that apology again, it was alleged that I
YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU circulated my story on a WattsApp page for colleagues
to copy. All of us here in Jos can bear me witness that I don’t have
the habit of sharing my published story in WattsApp page. By the way, it
is against our rule here that no journalist should paste his story on
any of our three platforms eg, Correspondents platform, NUJ platform and
that of Ministry for information. So, on which reporters platform did I
share that story? Can any of us remind me of any other platform I
circulated that controversial story. I never did.
Again, the fact
that Danladi Ciroma denied his comments and PREMIUM TIMES hurriedly
apologized to Miyetti Allah does not mean Miyetti Allah is right and the
media is wrong. Up till now, I still remain positive and confident that
Danladi Ciroma is lying, the fact that I have no record of the
interview does not also make Ciroma right in his claim. Let us not
narrow investigation into media publications to availability of
recording alone, providing the voice recording could be a short-cut to
the investigation, but in the absence of the short-cut, the long-cut
alternative can be explored for thorough investigation. I’m happy my
employer, THE NATION newspaper is doing that at the moment, based on the
confidence they have in me, they are exploring all necessary
alternatives to get to the root of it.
As colleagues or as a body
of media practitioners, let us also not be too hasty in condemning any
colleague that find himself in this saga for the fact that in all
discipline, professionals can make mistake at a point in his work no
matter your years of experience. I’m 19 years in journalism, in spite
that, I’m not immune to professional mistake.
Above all, I still insist I’m not wrong in this matter, I have no apology for Miyetti Allah or Danladi Ciroma.
Thank you colleagues for taking your time, remain BLESSED.
