Nationwide News Network (NNN) ace reporter Abka Fitz-Henley has been forced to travel with an armed security guard since recent threats against his life.
The presence of his armed security was obvious when he turned up at Mona High School last Thursday to cover Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader, Andrew Holness and his wife, Juliet, voting at one of the polling divisions at the St Andrew Eastern cluster.
Asked about his need for armed security, Fitz-Henley said that he had been advised against making any public comment on the matter. However, since Thursday, the Jamaica Observer has been able to uncover some of the facts leading to the decision by
Nationwide to provide him with both armed security on assignments and at NNN.
According to the information obtained by the Observer, Fitz-Henley had been receiving threatening phone calls for some two to three weeks prior to the general election. The calls included one from a “male voice” which warned him:
“Gunshot fi yu. Dead yu a go dead. Stop f… roun’ PNP business.”
Another caller last week informed him that: “Seh yu a investigative journalist an’ all now yu nuh have nutten fi say bout di man house!”
Fitz-Henley was also said to have received a voice message last week which stated: “Come outta PNP business, mawga bwoy. Wi a go cut yuh throat media bwoy.”
It is also understood that two People’s National Party (PNP) supporters confronted him at the party’s news conference recently and sought answers from him about matters he had raised on radio. Fitz-Henley, the Observer was told, responded that he had no obligation to answer the questions. The persons reacted with a number of expletives, which led to other journalists who were present having to intervene.
The police high command is said to be aware of the incidents, and Fitz-Henley was advised to take certain precautions. However, the Observer has been unable to ascertain whether the police are investigating the matter and, if so, how far their investigations have reached.
Fitz-Henley has been a senior reporter at Nationwide for the past five years and co-hosts the station’s evening news programme Nationwide@5.
Unno lef di yute n gweh!!unno want kill di man cuz him a do fi him work??
Chances are a the same 2 him encountered.
Smh, transparency was an illusion I see. Do your work young man if journalism is your passion, take precaution as well.
Wow!