The safety of Nigerian journalists now requires special attention following the increase in the danger they experience in the country in the discharge of their duties.
The Executive Director of International Press Centre, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, made declaration on Wednesday while speaking at the 2020 IDEI media roundtable and stakeholders’ forum on journalists’ safety and press freedom limitations in Nigeria.
The event organised by IPC was held in Lagos.
Arogundade stated that Nigeria had, unfortunately emerged as one of West Africa’s most dangerous countries for journalists.
His words: “The state of the safety of journalists in Nigeria now requires special attention while urgent reforms to address the situation are needed as the Country is now one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are often spied on, attacked, arbitrarily arrested, or even killed.”
He stated that findings by IPC had shown that the nature of the attacks included physical assault, harassment, brutalisation, armed robbery, threat to life, unlawful arrest and detention.
He identified persons and groups allegedly responsible for the attacks as including officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Nigeria Police Force, and Department of State Security Services, armed robbers, Islamic Movement of Nigeria, soldiers, and Nigerian Customs Service.
Arogundade stated further: “IPCs monitoring activities have documented several cases of attacks on journalists; moreover, during the #Endsars protests, police and demonstrators attacked at least 12 journalists covering protests against police brutality and calling for the abolition of the country’s Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and at least five news outlets were attacked.
“Within a ten-month period, prior to the #EndSARS protest, IPC through its Journalists’ Safety Alert Desk documented fifty-nine (59) instances of attacks on journalists.”
Speaking on the significance of the stakeholders’ forum, Arogundade said it was held to mark year 2020 edition of the United Nation’s International Day to End Impunity, IDEI, for Crimes Against Journalists.
He said the event also marked one of the components of a three-year project on ‘Safety Awareness and Impactful Reporting of Communities’ being implemented by IPC with the support of the Open Society Foundation, OSF.
He pointed out that the initiative primarily aimed at improving the boundaries of safety of journalists and press freedom in Nigeria through continued sensitisation of media professionals and other relevant stakeholders.
“This forum represents a collective reawakening to the dangers posed to press freedom in Nigeria, and limitations to the journalism profession within the context of safety,” he added.
