The Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Lande Arogundade, has advised journalists and other media professionals covering Saturday’s Ekiti governorship election to prioritise their safety in line with carrying out their duties.

Speaking with Peoples Gazette at the IPC Situation Room in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, the director said election-day reporting comes with significant risks, stressing that the safety of all media workers, including reporters, camera operators and other support staff, must remain paramount.

He said the organisation had sought assurances from the Nigeria Police Force on the security of journalists during the election.

According to him, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police in charge of election monitoring, Abayomi Shogunle, assured the media on Thursday that journalists or groups of journalists who feel unsafe in any location could request police protection.

“If journalists or a journalist or a group of journalists need police protection, they are free to apply, and those would accompany them,” he told The Gazette. 

Mr Arogundade noted that police had also put measures in place to provide adequate security throughout the election.

He, however, advised media practitioners to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary risks and carefully assess their movements while covering the poll.

“But beyond that, we are telling our colleagues, be safe, know where to go and not take things for granted,” he said.

He added that IPC had established a hotline through its Election Situation Room for journalists to report emergencies or seek assistance during the election.

“That is one of the reasons we have this situation room. Election-day reporting is very important, and journalists need to take it seriously,” he added.