Concern by media stakeholders over attacks in various forms against journalists in the country is well-founded, given the media’s role to promote democracy and the freedoms inherent in it. The trend whereby journalists are abducted under the guise of law enforcement is therefore a cause for grave concern and should be seen as a threat to media practitioners’ practice and safety while carrying out their legitimate and constitutional duties. The apprehension extends to the families and friends of journalists, who are increasingly alarmed about the safety and freedom of their loved ones. 
 
More saddening is the way some of these attacks are carried out. Journalists are ambushed and whisked away as if they were common criminals. Since 1999, when Nigeria transitioned from military rule to democracy, many journalists and media professionals have come under attack in various forms. Many have been subjected to all forms of violence for revealing inconvenient truths: Some have been forced into exile or tortured by ‘repressive democratic’ governments, a situation that is unacceptable in a civilised society. These consistent attacks on journalists pose a threat to the pillars of a free and democratic society. 
 
Painfully, the institutions tasked with upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety and security of citizens, including journalists, have become the instruments of oppression against the media. The police, in concert with the Directorate of State Service, disturbingly are willing tools in this trend of violence and intimidation meted out to journalists. 
 
Expressing concern over recent cases of abductions, arbitrary arrests, detention and other attacks on media professionals, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and other organisations in the defence of democracy and press freedom have stated that these incidents pose a serious threat to democracy in the country. A report by MRA aptly demonstrates the consistent threat against press freedom by these agencies. 
 
Only recently, Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State allegedly ordered the arrest of an online journalist, Hassan Kangiwa, after he circulated a video exposing the deplorable condition of facilities at the Kangiwa General Hospital.   
 
Hassan had posted the video of an elderly patient lying helplessly on a bare metal bed frame without a mattress, sparking nationwide outrage and renewed calls for accountability in the health sector. 
 
A mid-term report by MRA released in July documented 141 attacks on journalists, media workers, and ordinary citizens for their reportage or peaceful expression of their views on a variety of issues, including governance, economic hardship, and the security situation in the country, among others.
 
The organisation, in its report titled: ‘The Onslaught Intensifies: A Mid-term Assessment Report on Media Freedom under the Tinubu Administration’, between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2025, stated that of these incidents, 61 cases (43.26 per cent) were perpetrated by operatives of the Nigeria Police.
 
The Department of State Services (DSS) was responsible for seven cases (4.96 per cent), with the two agencies collectively accounting for nearly half of all documented violations of media rights and freedom of expression across the country over the last two years.
 
The MRA argued that the Tinubu Administration bore legal responsibility for all the incidents, in accordance with Principle 20(5) of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, which holds that States are “liable for the conduct of law enforcement, security, intelligence, military and other personnel.”
 
The report said: “The Police seem to have become a weapon for public officials and other influential individuals seeking to silence and punish journalists who publish negative reports about them.”
 
A similar mode of media suppression and illegal incarceration targeted media professionals under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. It is lamentable that though Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 10 of the Human Rights Act and Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria confer on citizens the right to freedom of opinion, expression, the press and the right to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority, journalists critical of government’s actions have become the enemies of the state and suffered from threats from various sources. 
 
Nigeria’s democracy guarantees freedom of the press, information and expression; therefore, the actions and inactions of political officeholders query this freedom. When the government fails to act appropriately to an infraction on freedom, it amounts to an attempt to suppress the truth, which is not acceptable, because when truth is suppressed in a society, that society has no future.   
   
Also, failure to follow due process is disappointing and a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution.   
 
These consistent attacks on journalists pose a threat to the pillars of a free and democratic society and should not be allowed to continue. President Bola Tinubu, his officials, the military, and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, should show concern that press freedom is integral to democracy. 
 
Both the federal and state governments should respect, protect and promote the human rights of everyone in the country, including the rights to freedom of expression, information and media freedom. The administration should caution the DSS and other security and law enforcement agencies to refrain from harassing or targeting critical journalists and independent media outlets. The administration must ensure a conducive environment for journalists, media houses and other civil society actors to carry out their work and operate freely without fear of reprisals.
 
Sadly, politicians who are so-called democrats are not tolerant of the press or critical reports of truth. This is not acceptable. Leaders who supposedly fought for freedom and democracy should not allow the erosion of basic freedoms.
 
The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, should take action to stem the abuse of Police powers. The harassment and intimidation of journalists by the Police and other security agencies have reached alarming levels and are posing a grave danger to media freedom and democracy in Nigeria.

Nigeria needs viable institutions that will uphold the tenets of democracy and promote media freedom. Security operatives should be re-orientated to respect and uphold the laws of freedom of the press that undergird democracy.
 
There is a need for governments to protect journalists and media freedom, foster a culture of tolerance, and support independent media. Journalists should be able to operate without fear of harassment, intimidation, or violence. 
 
Towards this, the country’s legal framework should be strengthened to protect journalists and ensure that all attacks against journalists are thoroughly investigated and perpetrators prosecuted. A free media is essential in any society to ensure freedom of opinion and expression and the enjoyment of other rights. To suppress press freedom is to increase government opacity, reduce citizen participation, create obstacles to accountability, and weaken democratic institutions.