On the morning of August 1, Nigerian journalist Yakubu Mohammed was attacked in Abuja while covering the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja. Mohammed, a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, was beaten, harassed and injured in the head while being hit with the butt of a gun before he was let go, despite being clearly identified as a journalist and wearing a press jacket. His crime was performing his duty at the protest site.
Reporters Without Borders' 2024 World Press Freedom Index highlights alarming trends in violence against the press during protests, election periods and increasing political control of the media in several African countries, especially Nigeria.
According to Press Attack Tracker (PAT), like Yakubu, at least 30 other journalists have suffered similar attacks while covering the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests against rising living costs and government callousness. This is in addition to journalists who escaped death or serious injury but left the protest site at Moshood Abiola Stadium with their vehicles riddled with holes when security forces fired on them and peaceful protesters on Saturday.
Press Attack Tracker is a civic technology tool from the Centre for Journalism Development and Innovation. It tracks, verifies and documents incidents of press freedom violations in Nigeria.
Security forces declare war on journalists
PREMIUM TIMES has compiled some of the incidents of press freedom violations that occurred between July 31 (Thursday) and the third day on Saturday, as reported on various news platforms.
On the eve of the protest, on Wednesday, July 31, News Central Television reporter Bernard Akede was heckled and harassed by police officers while reporting live at the Lekki Toll Gate area in Lagos State, disrupting the television station's live broadcast.
Jide Oyekunle, a journalist with the Daily Independent Newspaper and president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ, FCT chapter), was manhandled by a policeman in Abuja. He says the police commissioner ordered his phone confiscated for covering the protest.
Article page with promotion of financial support
Also in Abuja, Kayode Jaiyeola, a photojournalist with Punch newspaper, was arrested by a police officer believed to be linked to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Jaiyeola was handed over to members of the FCT Police Command, who arrested him.
Police during protest
News Central Television journalist Mary Adeboye was tear-gassed by police officers while covering the protest in Abuja.
Jonathan Ugbal, the editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Cross River Watch, was assaulted and arrested at the Mary Slessor roundabout area in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. He was taken to an undisclosed location where he was detained for several hours.
In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, nine staff members of Radio Ndarason International (RNA), including the editor-in-chief, head of programmes and the Nigeria bureau chief, were also arrested. Their arrest and detention are believed to be linked to an earlier visit by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, who was at the station that day.
The failure of the police to provide adequate security was also evident in attacks on journalists by thugs who took advantage of the poor security situation to unleash mayhem against journalists covering the protest.
In Delta State, journalists were attacked by pro-government protesters who assaulted #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters with the intention of disrupting their demonstrations. Some journalists who were victims of this attack were Guardian newspaper journalist Monday Osayande and Punch newspaper journalist Matthew Ochei. Both were attacked while interviewing protesters.
A TVC correspondent was attacked by armed thugs while covering the protest in Kano State, resulting in an injury to his hand.
Around 11 journalists were also attacked in a Channels TV vehicle, and in the process, Channels TV correspondent Ibrahim Isah was injured while trying to escape from the scene.
On Saturday, the third day of protests, police and the State Security Service (SSS) fired on peaceful protesters and journalists at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
The wave of attacks by the press is worrying, according to the CJID
Reacting to this development, Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director of the CJID Journalism Programme, said: “It is deeply worrying that members of the Nigerian police have decided to harass journalists, [who are] “fulfilling their duty to keep the public informed, rather than providing security to citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest.”
“Attacks on journalists by the Nigerian Police Force not only violate the rule of law, but also constitute an abuse of the fundamental rights of journalists and an affront to the principles of democracy.
“Journalists are essential to maintaining a functioning democracy and must be protected by the State and all stakeholders.”
NHRC and IPI Nigeria react
Concerned by the developments, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on police authorities to investigate and punish officers who attacked journalists during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
Similarly, the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has called on Kayode Egbetokun, Nigeria's Inspector General of Police, to thoroughly investigate cases of harassment of journalists and ensure that all police officers involved are held accountable and brought to justice.
Background
On August 1, Nigerians took to the streets in major cities across Africa’s largest democracy in response to poor governance, rising inflation and untold hardships attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies since he took office last year.
Despite Nigeria's vast oil resources, Nigerians struggle with poverty and hunger while their political leaders are among the highest paid in Africa.
In the midst of all this, the government has shown insensitivity to the plight of the majority of its citizens.
Many aggrieved citizens find provocative the Nigerian government's priority for political officials, who are pampered with huge salaries and expensive luxury cars financed from public coffers.
This attitude contrasts sharply with the government's call for citizens to tighten their belts to cope with the consequences of the elimination of gasoline subsidies and its long-term economic policies, which contributes to fueling the protests, which organizers say will last 10 days.
Led by young people, the protesters are demanding better governance, economic reforms, employment opportunities, increased security, protection of human rights and respect for the rule of law.
The protest entered its fourth day on Sunday and organizers promised it would continue until Saturday, August 10.
Security agencies have killed at least 13 people during the protests, according to Amnesty International.
President Tinubu lamented the violence, looting and killings that have characterized the protests in many states but remained silent on the brutality of security agencies during the protest.