Journalists and members of the civil society organisations have continued to express concerns over continued impunity against journalists.
Recently, they stormed the Force Headquarters of the Nigerian Police to protest the detention without trial of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
The protesters carried banners, which read: ‘Journalism is not a crime,’ and ‘Stop the impunity.’
Ojukwu was declared missing on May 1, 2024, with his phone numbers switched off, leaving his whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family and friends.
He was allegedly moved to the National Cybercrime Centre, in Abuja, by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.
Last week, a coalition of media and civil society groups working alongside international allies expressed deep concern on the growing cases of attacks on press freedom, and the flagrant abuse of due process and the rule of law by the police.
A statement was issued and signed by Enough is Enough Nigeria, Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), Invictus Africa, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), Global Rights, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
Others are Dataphyte, Gatefield, BudgIT Foundation, WikkiTimes, Hope Behind Bars Africa, Partners West Africa, Media Rights Agenda, International Press Centre (IPC), The Cable, Premium Times, Digicivic Initiative, Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and BONews Service.
They expressed deep worry on the recent surge in attacks on press freedom and the silencing of dissent and civic voices.
To the group, “a free press and public participation are fundamental pillars of our democracy. Thus, the continuous silencing of journalists and civic actors who hold power accountable undermines the provisions of Sections 22 and 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which guarantees freedom of the press and freedom of expression, respectively.”
Furthermore, the group condemned the coordinated use of state resources, the mischievous interpretation and hyper-application of laws, especially the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 as amended, and the abuse of power and public institutions are draconian tactics deployed to further shrink Nigeria’s fragile civic space.
They further condemned incessant use and abuse of the Remand Order process, which is observed to be the new machinery for which the Nigeria Police continuously violates the rights of Nigerian citizens.
The statement said it was in the Inspector General of Police’s interest to offer opportunities for the international community to rate the Tinubu administration’s compliance and respect for its human rights commitments positively./
Other demands include: “A rights-based review of laws that are subject to vexatious interpretations amending them to reflect democratic norms and principles and invitations by the police should be in writing, documented, and undersigned by their legal representatives. It is illegal to arbitrarily show up and pick somebody without stating cause and all requests for individuals to accompany law enforcement personnel to a station for questioning or detainment should be documented with a duly authorised warrant and acknowledged in writing by the individual, ensuring that their legal rights are understood.”
