By Josephine Uzorh
Nigerians are mourning the death of Precious Owolabi, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving with Channels TV, who got hit by a stray bullet during a Shiites protest on Monday.
Owolabi died on Monday evening after he was rushed to the hospital following injuries he sustained from the gunshot. He was part of a crew from Channels Television covering a Shiites protest at the National Assembly, Abuja.
The members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have been agitating for the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention for four years despite being granted bail by the courts.
Owolabi was not the only casualty from the Monday protest. A Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usman Umar, and some members of the Shiites Movement also lost their lives.
Nigerians have expressed their sadness over the loss of these innocent lives.
“It grieved my heart when I heard about the death of precious Owolabi, a corps member serving with channels television that was hit by a stray bullet during the Shiites in Abuja. Rest In Peace Let’s put an end to all these killing”, @MediaPrudent
said.
“Precious Owolabi left his house yesterday for work but did not return and will never return again. RIP. In Nigeria Death means nothing to us again, we’ve all move on assive nothing happened, all thanks to Buhari Nextlevel. It maybe you or someone close to you next. Think am so…”, @OpuiyoMike said.
“This is Nigeria. Welcome to Nigeria. You struggle to go to school, You finish with good grades, You obey the clarion call, while serving your beloved Nation, The worst tragedy occurs. You get shoot in the tummy, You loss your life serving your nation. Sad End of Precious Owolabi”, @youngichu said.
“Rest in Perfect Peace #PreciousOwolabi. We are very saddened for the loss of this promising young man. Having the overall safety of the body in mind, onsite reporters should be adequately geared to withstand such calamities as this. Nigeria is really in trying times”,@LaCaviar_Ng said.
Meanwhile, some have blamed Channels TV for sending a rookie Corps member out on a dangerous assignment without proper protection.
“Channels Tv is to be held responsible for the young man Precious Owolabi’s death. Whats so difficult in providing bullet proof vests for your reporters. Nigeria is really messed up #RestInPeace Precious Owolabi”, @GodwinOtokina said.
“Hope @channelstvis made to face the music for sending an untrained ill equipped Corps Member to a Warfront like scene! Rest on#PreciousOwolabi”, @MAZI_ENYI said.
“@channelstv sent a corp member to cover a protest with a history of violence and deaths, WHY? Channelstv is a high profile media outfit with sufficient trained personnel who may have been trained”, @JoeSpeaks4 said.
Channels TV also lost one of their reporters in Kano during the Boko Haram attacks on the North in 2012.