Some miscreants believed to be fake journalists, on Thursday, attacked a Chief Correspondent of PUNCH Newspapers, Mr Friday Olokor, with sharp weapons beating him to pulp.
The incident happened in Abuja during an academic Town Hall Symposium, which had the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba as Guest Speaker.
The hoodlums, who deployed sharp weapons in the attack inflicted a cut on his face, very close to his eyes.
Other journalists from other newspapers who rushed to the scene to intervene and rescue Olokor from his attackers were also threatened to either back down or face similar treatment.
Trouble started when Olokor asked the organisers of the programme to provide the text of the paper presented by the Minister for detailed reportage
The coordinator of the programme, who was simply identified as Martin, was making necessary arrangements to make the Minister’s speech available when the thugs – three men and two women who were speaking fluent Hausa, pounced on the PUNCH man, accusing him of attempting to “spoil their show.”
His assailants also accused Olokor of labeling them as fake journalists without any reputable media, an allegation he swiftly dismissed after his resuscitation.
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According to him, he was merely exchanging pleasantries with the national chairman of United Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the previous election, Chief Godson Okoye when he was attacked.
