Rights Group Condemns Growing Attacks On Journalists

An advocacy group, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), has condemned the alarming emergence successful attacks and harassment of journalists successful Nigeria.

The radical decried the caller apprehension and detention of Mr Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa successful Kebbi State connected the orders of Governor Nasir Idris, pursuing the circulation of a video that exposed the deplorable authorities of facilities astatine the Kangiwa General Hospital.

It warned that, if unchecked, the inclination poses a sedate menace to media freedom, state of look and the citizens’ close to entree information.

MRA called connected determination and planetary quality rights bodies to instrumentality urgent measures to redress the concern by intimately monitoring Nigeria’s compliance with its quality rights obligations and holding the authorities accountable for breaches of those obligations.

“Hassan had posted a video online showing an aged diligent lying helplessly connected a bare metallic furniture framework without a mattress, sparking outrage crossed the state and renewed calls for accountability successful the wellness sector. Rather than addressing the wide neglect and decay successful the infirmary strategy revealed successful the footage, Governor Idris chose to punish the writer by criminalising his enactment and violating his rights arsenic a journalist.

“According to eyewitnesses, information operatives stormed Hassan’s residence successful Kangiwa municipality precocious successful the nighttime of Sunday, September 7, 2025, arresting him successful beforehand of his family. His phones and enactment instrumentality were seized during the raid, raising further concerns astir the usurpation of his privateness and nonrecreational rights.

“Hassan was initially held astatine a section constabulary presumption earlier being transferred to Birnin Kebbi, the authorities capital, reportedly connected the governor’s orders. Since then, constabulary authorities person refused to disclose the charges against him oregon assistance entree to his lawyers, efficaciously keeping him chopped disconnected from his family, friends and ineligible representation,” MRA said successful a statement.

Noting that the incidental is not isolated but portion of a disturbing signifier of attacks against journalists successful Nigeria who are carrying retired their nonrecreational duties, Mr John Gbadamosi, MRA’s programme officer, said successful the connection that “these repeated incidents item the deteriorating situation for media state successful Nigeria. The civilization of impunity, enabled by government, has emboldened perpetrators, some authorities and non-state actors, who present onslaught journalists without fearfulness of consequences.”

He called connected the authorities authorities to merchandise Hassan and advised the politician to desist from persecuting journalists and alternatively absorption connected addressing the decay successful nationalist infrastructure.

Gbadamosi identified different caller cases of attacks against journalists successful Nigeria to include, the beating of Olatunji Adebayo, a analogous with The Punch newspaper, successful June 2025 and seizing of his instrumentality by information operatives portion helium was covering a protestation successful Ibadan, Oyo State.

The radical besides noted with dismay the caller harassment of Blessing Okonkwo, a freelance broadcast writer successful Anambra State, who was besides assaulted by constabulary officers who accused her of “unauthorized reporting” portion she was filming a demolition exercise.

The MRA besides mentioned the detention of Ibrahim Garba, a Daily Trust photojournalist successful Kano, who was detained for hours successful August 2025 and physically assaulted by governmental enactment loyalists portion helium was covering a run rally.

The rights radical besides recalled the battle connected Ms Ladi Bala, the Transport Correspondent of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) by Mr Kayode Opeifa, managing manager of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), connected August 27, 2025, portion she was covering the derailment of a bid on the Abuja-Kaduna obstruction corridor.

MRA besides recalled the detention of Sodeeq Atanda, a elder newsman with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), who was arrested by the Ekiti State Police Command connected September 9, 2025, successful Ado-Ekiti, aft helium honoured an invitation by the Police implicit his study exposing alleged intersexual harassment reportedly perpetrated by a Vice Chancellor of a Federal University, among different instances.