South African Police Brutalized two Nigerian journalists for covering Super Eagles Departure.

Two Nigerian journalists were harassed, brutalised and detained for lack of good reasons by South African police in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon. South Africa Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Debo Oshundun and Deputy Editor of the Sun Newspapers, John Joshua-Akanji were cornered by policemen when they were on their way to cover the departure of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions the Super Eagles, at the OR Tambo Airport, South Africa.
Joshua-Akanji told Goal.com about his ordeal at the hands of the South Africa Policemen.`We were in a taxi going to the airport to cover the departure of the Super Eagles when the police stopped us and asked us to drive into a shopping mall and forcibly dragged us out of the car.
``We were made to lie on the ground, thoroughly searched and threatened with guns by more than 15 policemen who said they would shoot at us.
``Despite introducing ourselves as journalists, they still dragged us on the floor before they bundled us into a bus and took us to the Sandringham Police Station in Johannesburg.
``They dispossessed us of our phones and other valuables.
``But on getting to the police station in Sandringham, the police officers claimed that the cab we were travelling in had two different registration numbers.
``But following our protestations that their action was unjust, our phones were handed over to us which enabled my colleague in NAN to call both the Nigerian Consul and the High Commissioner who eventually stepped in.
``We were eventually released following the arrival of Nigerian officials but I missed my flight back home,’’ Akanji said.
He said in a bid to appease the journalists, the station commander of Sandringham police station, Lt.-Col. M. F. Thashabala, apologised for the unruly behaviour of the policemen.
“I thank God we are still alive because we could have been shot. I have never been in that situation in my life. I was dragged on the floor kicked and brutalised. I and John Joshua-Akanji were disposed of our phones, my keys and we couldn’t contact anybody. We were detained for two hours and I was really traumatised for the time the police dealt with us and still imagining it up till now”, the Weekend Editor of the Soccer Star disclosed.

“I am perplexed and short of words to describe the way I felt during and after our ordeal in the hands of the policemen here. I have not experienced this in my whole life. The police claimed that they stopped our car because the taxi we were in has a plate number with two different characters. Immediately they stopped us they removed the plate number. They lied that they have been trailing,” Oshundun said on Tuesday afternoon.
It took the intervention of the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg to secure the release of both men. There are no indication yet, if the Journalists will press for charges against the South African Police.