At least 56 journalists assaulted and detained by security forces and unidentified citizens during protests \u2013 even though many had on vests that identified them as press.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly condemned the recent attacks \u2013 including physical assaults, intimidation and detention \u2013 on at least 56 journalists in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The journalists \u2013 including nine from Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) in Borno State \u2013 were attacked, harassed and\/or detained by security forces and unidentified citizens while covering the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations across the country.<\/p>\n
The CPJ is demanding accountability from the Nigerian authorities.<\/p>\n
Nigeria witnessed a surge in attacks on journalists covering the demonstrations during the 10-day nationwide \u201chunger protest\u201d from August 1 to 10.<\/p>\n
One journalist, Yakubu Mohammed of the Premium Times, recounted his harrowing experience while reporting on the cost-of-living protests in Abuja.<\/p>\n
He said one officer seized his phone and three others hit him before he was thrown into a police van.<\/p>\n
\u201cA menacing officer in a bulletproof vest and helmet came for me. Three other officers would later join him \u2014 all pounced on me with a ferocity that left me reeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mohammed said while one officer wrenched his right hand and seized his phone, the three others hit him with their weapons. He received a head injury and his right shoulder was twisted and hurt.<\/p>\n
He described his assailants as \u201cmonsters\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey intentionally came for me, fully aware that I am a journalist who caught them on camera harassing protesters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite wearing a \u201cpress vest\u201d and showing his identification card, Mohammed said he was targeted by the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the blink of an eye, I went from being a hunter of a story to become the story,\u201d he said after his assault.<\/p>\n
On August 1, at least 10 armed police officers stormed the office of Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) in northern Borno State, detaining nine members of staff for five hours.<\/p>\n
The police accused the staff of publishing \u201cfake news\u201d about the demonstrations.<\/p>\n
David Smith, the project director of RNI, told the CPJ that the police action was a direct result of the outlet\u2019s coverage of the protests.<\/p>\n
The detained staff were held for five hours, highlighting the risks faced by journalists in the region.<\/p>\n
The CPJ said it strongly condemned the attacks, adding that it had documented many incidents of violence perpetrated by police and unidentified civilians during the protests.<\/p>\n
It said it was concerned about the failure of Nigerian authorities to prioritise journalists\u2019 safety and hold the perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis creates a culture of impunity that would likely embolden perpetrators to carry out further attacks on the press,\u201d the CPJ said.<\/p>\n
The incidents also sparked fears of a broader crackdown on press freedom in the country, where journalists play a crucial role in holding those in power accountable.<\/p>\n
The attacks not only harmed individual journalists but also undermined the ability of the media to report on critical issues, including corruption, governance and human rights.<\/p>\n
The CPJ said the safety of journalists remained a pressing concern in Nigeria and urged the government to take immediate action to protect journalists, investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cDocumentation of the incidents, based on interviews with those affected, local media reports, and verified videos and photos, were emblematic of the dangers faced by reporters in many African countries during protests \u2013 and the failure of authorities to prioritise journalists\u2019 safety and end impunity for crimes against journalists,\u201d the CPJ said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll but one of the journalists \u2013 a reporter for government-owned Radio Nigeria \u2013 worked for privately owned media outlets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the attacks included:<\/p>\n
On July 31, News Central TV journalists were stopped and questioned by police officers. They were forced to pause reporting on the planned protests at the Lekki toll gate in western Lagos State.<\/p>\n
On August 1, police arrested two photojournalists \u2013 from the Daily Independent and Punch \u2013 in Abuja.<\/p>\n
Also in Abuja, police officers threw tear gas cannisters at three journalists from News Central TV, The Cable and the People\u2019s Gazette. Two of the journalists were hit in the legs with the cannisters.<\/p>\n
In northern Kano city, unidentified attackers wielding machetes and sticks smashed the windows of a Channels Television-branded bus carrying 11 journalists and a car carrying two journalists.<\/p>\n
In southern Delta State, at least 10 unidentified assailants attacked three journalists from The Guardian, Punch, The Pointer, and an investigative reporter whose cellphone was snatched.<\/p>\n
On August 3, masked security forces fired bullets and tear gas in the direction of 18 journalists who were covering the protests at the national stadium in Abuja. Several of the journalists were wearing press vests.<\/p>\n
A journalist\u2019s leg was dislocated and another cut his knees and broke his phone as they were fleeing.<\/p>\n
In Abuja\u2019s Wuse neighbourhood, unidentified men robbed the political editor of the government-owned Radio Nigeria broadcaster. He and his driver were held at knifepoint.<\/p>\n
On August 6, unidentified men carrying sticks attacked four journalists from News Central TV.<\/p>\n
On August 16, Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh denied any attacks were carried out on the press by police and asked for evidence. She also accused CPJ of harassment.<\/p>\n
Police spokespersons Bright Edafe of Delta State and Haruna Abdullahi of Kano State told CPJ that their officers had not received any complaints about attacks on the press.<\/p>\n
Lagos State police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin referred CPJ to the state\u2019s Complaint Response Unit. The person who answered the phone refused to identify themselves and said they had no information about attacks on journalists. Subsequent calls and messages went unanswered.<\/p>\n
The CPJ made repeated calls to the Borno State Commissioner for information, Usmin Tar. Calls and messages were unanswered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shettima Lawan Monguno<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At least 56 journalists assaulted and detained by security forces and unidentified citizens during protests \u2013 even though many had on vests that identified them as press. The Committee to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":52879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52880,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52878\/revisions\/52880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}