Nigeria, Aug. 4 -- Veteran journalist and publisher Anietie Akpan is dead.

Mr Akpan, a former deputy bureau chief of The Guardian in Nigeria's South-south region, died on Sunday night, according to the Cross River State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

He spent more than three decades in journalism, earning a reputation for his coverage of public affairs and child rights issues before leaving The Guardian to establish his own newspaper, Pillartoday.com.ng.

In a statement on Monday, the NUJ Cross River State Council described his death as "a monumental loss" to the journalism profession and the state.

"The passing is a monumental loss, not only to the NUJ family but also to the media profession and Cross River State a...