My picture wrongly published as Precious Owolabi, NYSC member cries out

Oraeki Chijioke picture used as Precious Owolabi
Precious Owolabi

A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Ogun State has expressed distress over the wrong use of his picture as that of Precious Owolabi who was killed during a Shiite protest.

Mr Owolabi, serving with Channels Television, died from gunshot wound sustained from a stray bullet when members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) clashed with policemen in Abuja last week.

He has since been buried.

Some media organisations have however been using the picture of Oraeki Chijioke, serving in Agbara, Ogun State as that of the deceased.

In a statement made available to Qed.ng, Chijioke commiserated with the family of the late corps member but said the wrong use of his image should stop.

Because of the wrong use of his picture, the young man said: “I have had to deal with streams of calls coming in from the early hours of Tuesday, 22nd July (sic), 2019 to this moment.”

Referring to a particular publication, Chijioke said, “I will appreciate an apology and retraction in requisite measure that the picture was used as soon as possible.”

He added that the picture wrongly used was cropped from one in which he appeared with two other NYSC members.

“I will appreciate if editors of concerned media houses could review the posts and publications by editing out my picture and better still bring it down when such update is made soonest.

“Please I am not the demised!

‘I am alive!

“Thanks for prompt response,” the statement concluded.