On August 6, 2026, News Central Television journalist Ibukunoluwa Daramola, popularly known as IBK, was assaulted by a suspected street tout while conducting a live vox pop segment in Lagos.
Daramola and her camera crew were interviewing members of the public when a man approached her from behind and slapped her without provocation. The man, said to be a tout, or “Agbero,” as such individuals are known locally, was among a group of people in the area reportedly agitated by the presence of the cameras.
Rather than treating the incident as an isolated assault, Daramola stated that she will use it as a basis for an investigative report on Agbero activities in Lagos, focusing on harassment, intimidation, extortion and violence that residents say they face.
In related discussions on News Central platforms, residents expressed divergent views on Agbero. Some described Agberos as a security problem linked to harassment and violence, while others argued that many are driven by economic hardship and survival pressures.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) reminds the Nigerian government of its obligation under national and international law to create an enabling environment for the practice of journalism, free from fear and violence.
Although Daramola stated that she was not going to treat this as an isolated assault, the MFWA calls on the Nigerian authorities to investigate this incident and to address the broader concern of Agberos becoming a security issue with appropriate action and measures.
