The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) lends its full support to the legal action taken by several Nigerian civil society organisations (CSOs) against the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over the persistent arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists in Nigeria.
The suit, filed by Citizens’ Gavel, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), the Human Rights Journalists Network (HRJN), and other media stakeholders, seeks justice for journalists who have been unlawfully detained or intimidated while carrying out their professional duties.
The CSOs argue that these repressive actions have become a growing trend, with law enforcement agencies often acting on behalf of powerful individuals to silence critical and investigative journalism.
According to Citizens’ Gavel’s Senior Legal Analyst, Sylvester Agih, the legal action follows the federal government’s failure to respond to a formal appeal urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the violations.
“The President’s failure to respond or take any concrete steps to address these violations necessitated this lawsuit,” Agih said.
The MFWA commends the CSOs for taking this bold and necessary step and echoes their call for an end to the abuse of police powers to harass and intimidate journalists.
We further call on the Nigeria Police Force to assert its independence and refrain from being used as a tool to suppress freedom of expression and press freedom. The police must uphold the rule of law in all its dealings with the media.
