FG pledges to end crimes against journalists, others

• Malami hails report on Nigeria

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has said that the Federal Government is committed to ending impunity for crimes against members of the public, including journalists.

He also hailed the 2020 global report on impunity for crimes against journalists, which was released on October 28, 2020, by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and indicated that Nigeria is the only country that came off the index from 2019.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, to commemorate the United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Malami said it was gratifying to note that Nigeria was no longer among the countries with impunity for crimes against journalists.

The minister described the achievement as a result of deliberate and committed efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government through the reformation of the justice sector.

He expressed optimism that with a solid foundation for the justice sector, never again would Nigeria feature among nations where journalists and other citizens suffer from any form of impunity.

Malami said the recent developments in Nigeria’s international arbitration against P&ID and some international oil companies were indicators of the country’s determination to ensure due diligence and respect for the rule of law in governance.

He recalled that in the last decade, Nigeria ranked 13th across the globe and used to be among the top three African countries with impunity for crimes against journalists, only after Somalia and South Sudan.

The minister, who expressed commitment to maintaining the tempo, said there was no room for complacency in ensuring a serene online and offline atmosphere for journalism practice in the country.