Like the inglorious military era, practitioners in the media space have described first year of President Bola Tinubu as attack on free press and gagging of the civic space.

Recall last December, during meeting with members of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the president promised to support press freedom in his administration, with assurances to eschew any form of restraints, even when the media does not sing praise of his administration in some cases.

He assured: “You have held our feet to the fire, and we will continue to respect your opinions, whether we agree or not. One thing I must say is that I read every paper, various opinions, and columnists; I promise you a very transparent government. We will try our best to draw water from a dry well and create a good economic environment that will serve the people.”

After one year in office, the surge in attacks on press freedom has become worrisome, thereby, contravening section 22 of the Constitution, which indicates that the watchdog role is a constitutional duty of the press to ensure that government is held accountable.

A report by the International Press Centre’s Centre for the Safety and Protection of Journalists (I-CSPJ) said attacks on journalists is on the rise.
Similarly, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), in a report between May 2023 and April 2024, disclosed there were at least 45 attacks on journalists and media houses.

In 37 of these attacks, the victims were male journalists, representing 82 per cent, while in four of the attacks the victims were female journalists, representing nine per cent of the attacks. However, the organisation reported that only four attacks were recorded against media houses, organisations, or outlets that were invaded.

The Press Attack Tracker, a civic technology tool of the Centre for Journalism and Innovation Development (CJID) that tracks, verifies and documents incidents of press freedom violations in Nigeria also disclosed in 2023, a total of 108 cases of press attacks were documented. 23 of the cases were documented between 29 May and December 2023.

In 2024, CJID’s Press Attack Tracker tracked, verified and documented 23 cases of press freedom violations against journalists in Nigeria, Findings also show that most of the attacks were mostly carried out by state actors, especially officers of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and the State Security Service, also known as the Department of State Service (DSS).

In the area of abuse of Cybercrime Act, on May 15, an International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) reporter, Nurudeen Akewushola, got a letter from the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigerian Police, inviting him for an “interview” in an investigation being carried out over a petition received by the NCC.

Similarly, another letter was received by the ICIR inviting its “managing directors” for an interview for the same reason. However, ICIR editor, Victoria Bamas, told CJID that the organisation believes that the invitation is linked to a report by Akewushola, indicting two former IGs of Police of corruption.

Reacting, MRA’s Communications Officer, Idowu Adewale, said: “MRA notes with alarm the troubling pattern of harassment and intimidation faced by journalists in Nigeria, particularly, through the misuse of the Cybercrimes Act. We are particularly disturbed by the upsurge in this deplorable Police practice under the Administration of President Tinubu, a man who owns multiple media organisations and built his political career on a history of democratic struggle. We, however, urge the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Tinubu, who professes the values of democracy and has been a victim of harassment under the military government, to call the police and public officials to order.”

The CJID also condemns the continued arrests of journalists based on the cybercrime law and encourages the government to comply with a Federal High Court order of 16 February, directing the Federal Government of Nigeria to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of all attacks against journalists and other media practitioners.

The President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, described media experience under the current administration as not too rosy. He referred to the cases of journalists’ repression, which included the cases of arrests in which media stakeholders had to rise to the occasion while the government yielded.

“We have had journalists or media practitioners that have got themselves hurt in the course of their practice. We have a number of them that have been arrested, that have been detained, and what have you. But one thing that is very, very significant in this whole thing is that each time such a thing happens, and the media stakeholders rise to the occasion, the government listens.

“That in itself says a lot. People may not understand. We’ve had times where journalists were arbitrarily incarcerated. And even when you shout to the highest rooftop, nobody listens. But this time around, the fact that the government heard that a press conference was going to take place, immediately the person that was detained, was released. And that’s what we’ve been having: A government that is listening. And as I speak with you, even though it’s supposed to be something that will still come up, the government is making efforts on how to increase its partnership, and working relationship with the media.

“So, in summary, I would say that so far, not so bad, but not so good.”To end the attacks on press freedom, The NUJ president disclosed that “the body is already working with the authorities and the security outfits to end the persistent attacks on the journalists in the country.”

In commemoration of this year’s Press Freedom Day, MRA, Global Rights: Advocates for Sustainable Justice, in collaboration with IPC and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), made the following recommendations: Given the scale of the challenges confronting the media sector in terms of the attacks on media freedom and the attendant hostile environment for media practice, it is imperative that media stakeholders foster greater collaboration to improve their effectiveness.

This should encompass greater demonstration of solidarity among media professionals, among civil society organisations as well as between the media sector and civil society; collaborative efforts, tools and procedures should be developed by media stakeholders for the purpose of ensuring better tracking, documentation and dissemination of information on attacks on journalists and media freedom in general in order to ensure that all cases of attacks on media freedom or on journalists and media organisations are reported and adequately addressed; media professional bodies such as the NUJ and the Nigerian Guild of Editors as well as other civil society organisations should engage with media organisations, including their proprietors and managers, and sensitize them on the need to support journalists in their employment whenever they are attacked.

They also need to engage these employers on the need to provide better security for the journalists that they employ, including through arranging security training, the provision of appropriate equipment and tools to enhance their security online and offline as well as through the adoption of appropriate security policies and protocols to ensure the safety and security of the journalists.

Federal and state government, through their relevant agencies such as ministries of information, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), media regulatory bodies, state-owned media establishments, among others, as well as other media stakeholders such as media professional bodies and civil society organisations should undertake media literacy and public sensitization activities to enlighten members of the public about the important role that the media play in society and the need to ensure their safety while respecting their rights.