Saudi officials refuse to address journalists who stormed Abuja embassy over Khashoggi

Some journalists and civil society organisations (CSO) on Friday stormed the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja to protest the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist, killed in Turkey.

Khashoggi was last seen on October 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. He was allegedly killed on the orders of the Saudi government.

At the embassy, journalists and members of the CSOs held placards which read: ‘Protect journalists’, ‘Justice for Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi’ among others.

No official of the embassy addressed the protesters.

Speaking at the event, Peter Nkanga, a co-convener of the Coalition of Nigerian Media and Civil Society Groups, said no human being should be made to face “such a bestial death.”

“Jamal Kashoogi’s blood is crying for justice and that is why we are here. We are here to tell the Saudi government that injury to one is injury to all,” he said.

“His life and death would never be in vain. His blood will keep speaking for generations to come. His legacy will remain forever.

“We are here to demand only one thing from the King and the crown prince of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the person or persons who gave the order for the bestial murder and those who carried out the murder, all of them must be brought to book.

“The second reason why we are here is in memory of our own Nigerian journalists who have been killed in the line of duty and in total impunity, just as we call on the Saudi government, so also we call on the Nigerian government to put an end to the impunity for crime against journalists.

“The United Nations set aside November 2 that means the world has taken notice crimes against journalists. And we are here in solidarity with that call. This month in October 32 years ago, we still remember the murder of Journalist, Dele Giwa, killed in a letter parcel bomb delivered to him on 19 October 1986. That case is marked on government’s conspiracy.

“We are here to tell the Nigerian government to take into account that in 32 years since Dele Giwa’s murder, countless other assassinations have occurred and have remained inconclusive. We therefore call on the president to order the reopening, impartial and transparent investigation into the murder of all journalists killed in the country and ensure their killers don’t go unpunished.”

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