Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has been slammed for threatening Cable News Network, CNN over its investigation exposing how soldiers shot at Lekki toll gate protesters.
 
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, a frontline Rights group, described Mohammed’s comments as unbridled, irrational, irresponsible, emotional, and totally provocative.
 
Mohammed had threatened to sanction CNN over its report on the incident at Lekki toll gate.
 
However, the rights group insisted that the comment by the Minister was shameful.
 
A statement by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko said Mohammed was promoting misinformation by tackling CNN’s report.
 
The statement reads partly: “It is shameful that rather than applaud and commend the CNN for it’s deployment of the highest quality of technology to ascertain what exactly took place on October 20th at Lekki tollgate Lagos state, a cabinet level minister in Nigeria paid by the public is rather engaging in warfare against the public.
 
“What took place today as press conference by the minister has nothing informative and cultural about it, but rather we will look at it from the dimension of cultural tyranny that was displayed by this person who parades himself as the minister of information. He should cover himself in shame.
 
“The reason for saying this is that the minister is promoting misinformation by fighting qualitaive dissemination of information as was done by the cable news network CNN.
 
“One would have expected that a government that is working to promote the welfare of the Nigerian people should be exceedingly happy that the CNN has helped us to expose the hidden information by the characters that unleashed violence on the people at the Lekki Toll Gates Lagos on October 20th 2020.”