The Companion Muslim Group has to expressed shock and unreserved condemnation regarding the unprofessional and insensitive reportage by Channels Television of the tragic bombing of a mosque and the loss of numerous Muslim lives in Maiduguri on Christmas Eve, reports thegazellenews.com
The Group’s reaction was contained in a statement signed by its National Amir (President), Imam Nojeemdeen Jimoh; and National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tunde Akanni, made available to journalists on Monday, 29 December, 2025.
The Group called on Channels Television to apologise publicly to Nigerian Muslims “for its lack of precision and utter disregard for professionalism”.
The Companion complained that, “the reporting of such a sensitive event requires the highest level of accuracy, yet the narrative presented by Channels Television failed to capture the true essence and scale of the carnage at the house of worship.
“By glossing over the specifics of the Maiduguri mosque bombing, the station has worsened a lopsided public perception of the security situation. This is more than a mere editorial slip. It is a fundamental failure to provide a thorough account of events, especially when those events involve the loss of lives during a period of heightened religious and emotional sensitivity”.
According to the Group, “this approach runs directly contrary to the principles of Conflict Sensitive Journalism, as championed by UNESCO. Professionalism dictates that in a volatile environment, journalists must report in a way that must consciously be supportive of de-escalating tensions.
“It becomes viciously self-serving when a broadcaster like Channels fails to accurately report the bombing of a mosque and the killing of worshippers. It creates a vacuum of information that can be filled by misinformation, further polarizing the society”.
The Companion viewed the recklessness by Channels as an exacerbation of an already tense national atmosphere which Channels itself may not survive if it chooses to sustain this devious brand of reporting.
“To ignore or under-report the targeted killing of Muslims in Maiduguri on the eve of Christmas is to fail the test of inclusivity and social responsibility. It suggests a hierarchy of victimhood that has no place in a professional newsroom or a democratic society.
“We call on the management of Channels Television to immediately offer a sincere apology to Nigerian Muslims for the lack of precision, and utter disregard for professionalism and even the Christian ethos they seem to be obsessed with.
“We therefore urge the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as the renowned Society for Peace Studies and Practice, SPSP, to support Channels TV with sessions on Conflict Sensitive Journalism, hoping they are open to redemption. Nigeria cannot afford a media establishment like Channels that appears to have abandoned peace for self-defined biases constituting a huge disgrace to Nigerian journalism,” the Group concluded.
