A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), serving in Agbara, Ogun State, Oraeki Chijioke, have protested the wrong use of his photograph in place of dead Precious Owolabi.
Owolabi, a youth corper serving in the Abuja office of the Channels Television, had died last Tuesday, following gunshot wounds from stray bullet following the clash between the police and the Shi’ites over the continued incarceration of their leader, Sheikh El Zakzaky and his wife in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Oraeki’s photograph had been splashed by several media houses both online and traditional platforms in a case of mistaken identity, in place of the slain corper Precious Owolabi.
In a letter sent to several media houses on Tuesday, Oraeki said: “I commiserate with the family of the late Corp member (Precious Owolabi). Incidentally, I discovered that my picture is being used instead of the dead person by some media houses.
This error, he further stated, has caused him very serious embarrassment , as he has been inundated with calls, from people trying to confirm if am still alive.
“Because of this, I have had to deal with streams of calls from the early hours of Tuesday, July 22, to this moment, from friends, relations and associates who wanted to be sure that it was indeed a case of mistaken identity. The latest of such grave error was that of the Punch Newspaper, on Sunday, July 28th 2019
Oraeki therefore demands an apology, and retraction by concerned media houses.
“I noticed that my photo was cropped off from a group photograph, as seen below, showing me in company with other friends.
He therefore demanded that his publications publish a retraction and a public apology and his photograph which was s=wrongly used to be pulled down.
“I will appreciate if this error is corrected soonest as I am not demised,” he said.