Coalition Urges President Tinubu to Address Rising Attacks on Journalists in Nigeria

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Citizens Gavel, and a coalition of 85 journalists, media practitioners, and civil society organisations have made an urgent appeal to President Bola Tinubu to address the escalating attacks on journalists in Nigeria. 

The statement, signed by Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director of the Journalism Program at CJID, was released on Saturday to coincide with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. 

In their second letter to the President, the coalition expressed deep concern over the rise in press freedom violations, referencing data from CJID’s Press Attack Tracker, which recorded 90 confirmed cases of attacks on journalists between July 1 and October 22, 2024. This marks an increase from the 51 incidents recorded between May 29, 2023, and June 30, 2024. 

The ongoing trend of harassment and intimidation, predominantly attributed to state actors, is described as a serious threat to press freedom and democratic principles in Nigeria.

The letter calls on President Tinubu to take definitive actions, including implementing stronger laws to protect journalists, holding perpetrators accountable, and engaging security agencies like the Nigerian Police, Army, and the DSS on the importance of safeguarding press freedom. 

The coalition also urged the President to involve the Nigerian Media Complaints Commission in complaints against journalists, ensuring due process is followed before any arrest or prosecution related to their work.

Emphasising the critical role of the press in Nigerian democracy, the coalition has called on all branches of government to respect and uphold the constitutional rights of journalists. 

They hope that President Tinubu will use this opportunity to affirm Nigeria’s commitment to protecting journalists and promoting a safe environment for independent reporting.