AfriPulse
September 18, (THEWILL) — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that photographs being circulated in the media as those of the three Nigerian pilgrims recently released by Saudi authorities were not authentic.
A statement signed on Thursday by Femi Babafemi, the Spokesperson of the agency, said following reports on the release of the three innocent Nigerian pilgrims by Saudi authorities, some media outlets had published unrelated images and presented them as those of the victims.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the images currently in circulation are not those of the three Nigerians who were detained in Jeddah. In line with globally accepted standards on human rights protection, privacy, and dignity of victims of such incidents, the agency deliberately refrained from publishing or releasing their photographs at any stage of its public communication on the matter”, he said.
Babafemi explained that the decision of the agency to refrain from releasing their photographs was taken to protect the pilgrims from undue public exposure and to enable them to reintegrate into society without stigma.
While emphasising that the NDLEA valued the role of the media as a vital partner in information dissemination and public enlightenment, Babafemi urged all news platforms to desist from using images that could misrepresent facts or compromise the dignity of innocent persons.
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Source: TheWillNigeria | Read the Full Story…
