Group condemns increasing arrest of investigative journalists in Nigeria

The Network Against Corruption And Trafficking (NACAT) has strongly condemned the increasing arrest of investigative journalists in Nigeria by the present administration.

They noted that the egregious assault on press freedom not only undermines the core principles of democracy but also violates the fundamental rights enshrined in both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights instruments.

They bemoaned the blatant disregard by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees freedom of expression and the press, including Section 22 that places a responsibility on the press to hold the government and the people accountable at all times.

They said, moreover, Nigeria is a signatory to various international treaties and conventions that recognize the right of the press as fundamental to the existence of democracy, stating that any attempt to stifle the press is an affront to the rule of law.

The group, in a press statement signed by its Operations Director, Stanley Ugagbe, said that in the last four months, at least five high-profile investigative journalists have been unlawfully arrested, detained, and subjected to intimidation and threats by government agents.

He said, “As an organisation that promotes human rights, we are deeply concerned that a nation like Nigeria, which is practising democracy, is clamping down on the rights of journalists, deploying government arsenal to suppress their voices, and subjecting them to inhumane treatment.”

Ugagbe said one of them is Isaac Bristol, an investigative journalist and also a micro-blogger, who was picked up from his hotel room in Port Harcourt and kept in solitary confinement for six days in an anti-kidnapping unit before being moved to FCID.

He said the Nigerian Police are currently demanding two Level 16 civil servants who own landed property worth at least N500 million in Abuja as surety before his release. He said asking a civil servant to be worth N500 million is an invitation to corruption by the Nigerian Police, stating that it would take over 100 years for a civil servant to amass such wealth and would require corruption to achieve it.

He also decried the arrest of Daniel Ojukwu, Fisayo Soyombo, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of FIJ, Abdulrasheed Hammad, a freelance journalist, and Adejuwon Soyinka, West Africa editor for The Conversation Africa.

They noted that these spurious actions are a direct attack on the freedom of the press and a dangerous step toward authoritarianism, stating that the press plays a crucial role in uncovering the truth and holding power to account. Investigative journalists, in particular, are the watchdogs of society, shining a light on corruption, injustice, and abuse of power and are protected by the laws that guarantee freedom of expression in a democracy. Any attempt to silence them is an affront to justice and human rights.

“It is even bemusing that agents of the Nigerian Government can easily track and arrest investigative journalists, clamp down on those who air their grievances over the failed policies of the government that have subjected the people to untold hardship, but cannot track and arrest terrorists and kidnappers who have turned the nation into a crime zone, making Nigerians live in perpetual fear. Today, it only takes the grace of God to go to the farm and return alive and an even greater grace to travel on Nigerian roads and reach your destination without being kidnapped,” they noted.

NACAT, however, demands immediate justice and accountability for these journalists, especially for Isaac, who is still being held in detention, saying the Nigerian government must put an end to these egregious attacks on press freedom and ensure that those responsible for these violations are held accountable.

They called on the international community to stand with Nigeria in defending press freedom, as they seek an open society where citizens can express themselves freely, have access to unclassified information, and where the government is fully accountable to the people.