Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has described as worrisome what it called the alarming arrests and detentions of Nigerian journalists in the country.
CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, in a press release, was reacting to the arrest of Editor and Webmaster of NewsDigest, an Abuja-based online newspaper, Mr Gidado Yushau and Mr Adebowale Adekoya, who have been released by the Kwara State Police Command after they were thoroughly quizzed for publishing an investigative report in May 2018.
Rafsanjani reiterated the organisation’s position for social justice and press freedom.
He recalled that Gidado, who is also the anchor of Youth Digest, has been in the forefront of training young investigative journalists on accountability in the public sector, as demonstrated in “Campus Investigative Journalists Workshop”, where campus students were trained on effective reportage, recently organised by CISLAC in collaboration with Youth Digest.
Rafsanjani’s statement reads:
“This is in addition to the Campus Journalism Awards, where best performing Campus Journalists were rewarded and encouraged in January 2019.
“We are not unaware of the media role in influencing public opinion, shaping political agenda, providing a link between the government and the people, while acting as the government watchdog in advancing good governance.”
“We also recall the crucial importance of the media in the promotion of democracy and rule of law; just as media is indispensable for people to be informed and to effectively participate in a democracy.
“It is on this premise that CISLAC will continue to support young investigative journalists to pursue various legal means to expose corruption and illegalities in our society, as this forms the basis of good governance, transparency and accountability CISLAC advocates and upholds.”