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• Call for immediate release of journalists in detention
By Phillip Nwosu and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) have raised the alarm over rising cases of violation of media freedom. Besides constant harassment, intimidation and arrest of media practitioners, they noted that government institutions like the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have risen against media organisations through their unfriendly policies and actions.
SERAP and NGE said the oppression against the media has come in form of the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 and criminal defamation under the Criminal Code Act, while the NBC uses some codes to target, intimidate and harass broadcast journalists, critics and media houses.
A statement jointly signed by Kolawole Oluwadare and Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, SERAP Deputy Director and Secretary, NGE, respectively, registered their concerns about the escalating crackdown on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom, as well as the flagrant disregard for the rule of law by government authorities at all levels.
The statement released to mark the International Human Rights Day, further noted that the suppression of the press in recent times has taken various forms ranging from extrajudicial to unlawful detentions, disappearances, malicious prosecutions and wrongful use of both legislation and law enforcement.
It noted Nigeria has a long and unpleasant history of gagging and clampdown on media freedom, which is an evidence of extensive state censorship of media, and in some cases, the utter control of state-owned media houses, stressing that the position has not changed considerably despite almost 25 years of unbroken democratic rule in the Fourth Republic.
“The rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and media freedom are guaranteed under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), and human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.
“Successive governments have made commitments to uphold and ensure the enjoyment of these human rights and media freedom. However, we are concerned about the deteriorating situation of human rights and the rule of law in the country and longstanding impunity for violations of the rights of journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, and activists.
“Freedom of the press is closely related to the freedom of expression found in article section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and the provisions of international human rights treaties such as article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.”
The statement, however, highlighted some of the recent cases to justify the claims of SERAP and NGE regarding deliberate attacks on the media by the state institutions.
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With reference to a report by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Press Attack Tracker, the statement confirmed that there were 110 verified attacks on journalists in the year 2024, an indication that the press attacks between the first and third quarter of 2024 surpassed that of the entire year in 2023.
The perpetrators documented in the tracker included state actors, outlaws, security operatives, private individuals, and unknown persons. The forms of abuse were of the typical types, physical attacks, threats and harassment, unlawful arrests, unlawful imprisonment, strategic litigation against public participation, cyberbullying, and so on.
Similarly, it noted that a report from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) indicated that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and politicians are responsible for over 70 percent of harassment and risks faced by Nigerian journalists, particularly during elections and civic demonstrations.
It further highlighted: “Nurudeen Akewushola, a reporter with ICIR and Dayo Aiyetan, ICIR Executive Director, were reportedly arrested and subjected to continuous question for over nine hours over allegations of cyberstalking and defamation of character stemming from a report written in February 2024.
“Police officers harassed Bernard Akede, a reporter with News Central TV, and his colleagues, Eric Thomas, and camera operators Karina Adobaba-Harry and Samuel Chukwu, forcing them to pause reporting on the planned protests at the Lekki toll gate.
“In Abuja, police officers arrested Jide Oyekunle, a photojournalist with the Daily Independent newspaper, and Kayode Jaiyeola, a photojournalist with Punch newspaper, as they covered the August #endbadgovernance protests.
“In northern Borno State, at least 10 armed police officers forcefully entered the office of the regional broadcaster Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) and detained nine members of staff for five hours.
“In Abuja, police officers threw tear gas canisters at Mary Adeboye, a camera operator with News Central TV; Samuel Akpan, a senior reporter with TheCable news site; and Adefemola Akintade, a reporter with the Peoples Gazette news site. The canisters struck Adeboye and Akpan’s legs, causing swelling.
“In northern Kano city, unidentified attackers wielding machetes and sticks smashed the windows of a Channels Television-branded bus carrying 11 journalists, and a car carrying two journalists.”
The statement urged the international community to encourage the Nigerian authorities to uphold constitutional and international human rights obligations on human rights, and to respect, protect, promote and fulfil these rights including freedom of expression and opinion, access to information and privacy online and offline, and ensure a free and independent media landscape.
