The director-general of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Issa Aremu, has cautioned media outlets against giving publicity to terrorists and bandits.

Mr Aremu made the call on Sunday in Ilorin, on the sidelines of his electronic membership registration with the All Progressives Congress in Baboko Ward, Ilorin West LGA.

He said that the terror attacks on Woro and Nuku communities, which resulted in mass murder of residents, elicited humanitarian crisis tasks professionalism of journalists with respect to “ethics, balance and sobriety”.

”The government and people of Kwara are still grappling with the aftermath of the terror attack.

”Media coverage of terrorist attacks often influences public perception. Journalists must remain measured, less sensational and resist giving undeserved oxygen of publicity to terrorists’ behaviour that would further amplify fear among citizens, inadvertently advancing the evil of the terrorists,” Mr Aremu explained.

Mr Aremu said rather than promoting gory stories of deaths and destruction being the trademarks of cowardly extremists who operate in darkness, the media should bring to the fore the commendable efforts of the affected communities, state and the federal government under President Bola Tinubu to overcome the pain and stem the tide of attacks.

He commended the prompt responses of both the Kwara and federal governments, through security deployments and humanitarian aid, to the Woro and Nuku communities.

He, however, advised that efforts should be more focused on prevention, with prompt action on intelligence reports of plausible attacks.

“It is time for a development approach to fighting terrorism through reclaiming ungoverned spaces through growth and development,” he said.

(NAN)