Coalition confirms 90 cases of attacks on journalists in four months

President Bola Tinubu

As the world commemorates the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists held every November 2, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations has urged President Bola Tinubu to address the persistent attacks and harassment of journalists and the media across the country.

The coalition made up of Citizens’ Gavel, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and journalists, said it had documented 90 cases of attack on journalists between July 1, and October 22, 2024.

It therefore appealed to the President to conduct thorough investigations into recent cases of journalists’ detention, cases of attacks on journalists, and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.

Legal Consultant, Citizens’ Gavel, Sylvester Agih, Deputy Director, Journalism Program, CJID, Busola Ajibola, in a statement on Saturday, said the appeal follows the first letter sent to the president dated July 29, 2024, which “urged the President to take immediate action to address the incessant and unwarranted arrest, unlawful detention and several other forms of harassment and intimidation meted out on journalists and the press in Nigeria”.

The letter included recommendations that could help ensure the safety of journalists and the protection of press freedom in Nigeria.

The coalition recalled that the CJID’s Press Attack Tracker earlier documented 51 verified incidents of press freedom violations across Nigeria.

It noted that 37 of these incidents occurred between January 1 and June 30, 2024, indicating a distressing escalation.

“Since the first letter was sent, the CJID’s Press Attack Tracker has documented not less than 90 confirmed cases of press attacks between July 1, and October 22, 2024,” the coalition said.

“The ongoing wave of press freedom violations, largely attributed to state actors, signals an alarming trend that endangers the safety of journalists and threatens the democratic principles of free speech and accountability.”

The coalition called on the President to implement laws and other measures directed at strengthening press freedom protection and ensuring that journalists and media professionals carry out their watchdog duties as guaranteed by the constitution, without fear of attack and intimidation.

The organisations further appealed to Tinubu to pressure all the arms of government to commit to respecting press freedom by upholding and protecting the rights of journalists as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.

“Engage the security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the State Security Service, also known as the DSS, on their roles in protecting press freedom and the importance of properly implementing the laws that relate to press freedom and freedom of expression,” it said.

“Engage with media professionals and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate constructive dialogues on the issues of press freedom and journalists’ safety, and to work in partnership with them to create a safer and enabling environment for journalism to strive in Nigeria.

“The President should direct that complaints against journalists in connection with their work be first reported to and investigated by the Nigerian Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman. A prima facie case should be established before the journalist concerned is invited, arrested, or prosecuted.

“As we observe the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we are reminded of the critical role of the press in Nigeria’s democracy.”

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