A photo journalist with the Vanguard Newspaper, Abayomi Adeshida, was manhandled by security aides of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
The incident reportedly took place, Thursday, at the banquet hall of the presidential villa in Abuja where the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), chaired by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, organised a summit.
Adeshida was said to be taking photographs of the vice president at the exhibition stand when operatives of Department of State Services (DSS) attached to the vice president pounced on him as Osinbajo was being presented a copy of the magazine as souvenir.
The photo-journalist later told his colleagues that he was not told why they descended on him.
He said he did not do anything out of the ordinary before the security operatives started hitting him. His camera was damaged while he was dragged on the floor right in the presence of the vice-president.
“I was shocked when these DSS operatives started beating me for no reason. They tore off my Presidential Villa accreditation tag on the shirt and dragged me on the floor while hitting me and kicking me.
“I believe they would have done much worse if not for the intervention of the Vice-President’s aide-de-camp (ADC), who I noticed was making hand movements for them to leave me alone.
“I am feeling pains all over my body and a particular sever pain on my right leg on which I don’t even know what they hit me with” he said.
The incident occurred day after 35 aides of the Vice-President were fired.