From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
A Zamfara State indigene residing in Calabar, Cross River State, Alhaji Ma’azu Bazamfare, has accused some journalists in Nigeria, particularly those reporting from insecurity-prone areas in the North, of allegedly concealing the truth and being biased in their reportage.
He made the allegation during an interview with our correspondent, claiming that journalists often fail to accurately report the level of insecurity affecting states such as Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, and Zamfara.
“Upon all the unrest and kidnapping happening in Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, and Zamfara, journalists don’t like to report the actual reality of the insecurity in their reportage,” he alleged.
Alhaji Ma’azu further claimed that during a recent visit to his village, he witnessed widespread destruction, adding that many villages had been deserted as residents fled to safer locations in search of shelter and livelihood.
He also accused relevant government agencies and authorities of negligence, saying their failure to act decisively has worsened insecurity in northern Nigeria, turning parts of the region into what he described as a “war-torn zone.”
According to him, over 300 villages in Zamfara State alone, as well as several others in Katsina State, have been abandoned due to persistent insecurity.
“If government and political elites had taken strong action earlier, insecurity would have become a thing of the past in the North,” he said.
He called on relevant authorities to take urgent and decisive steps to end the insecurity in the region.
Reacting to the allegation of media concealment, a veteran journalist who preferred not to be named stated that journalists do not take sides in their reportage, stressing that the profession is guided by ethics of fairness and objectivity.
“Journalists do not take sides in their reportage. Journalism is not a biased profession,” he explained.
