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In the three years since Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, journalists have been repeatedly arrested, attacked, and harassed — yet, the government has sought to deny this reality.
Vice President Kashim Shettima suggested in February that no journalists have been harassed in Nigeria since Tinubu took office, despite extensive reporting to the contrary.
“For the past three years, have you heard of any harassment of journalists?” Shettima asked members of the Nigerian Press Council, adding that Tinubu was “a friend of the media” who promoted “an environment that is conducive for journalists to carry out their duties without harassment.”
Similarly, in response to CPJ’s questions in late May, presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare said via messaging app that “the Tinubu administration has no record of unresolved infringements on rights of journalists,” adding “if there are any cases of arbitrary arrest or assault, it would be investigated promptly.”
CPJ has published three years of research in an interactive map, detailing the arrests, attacks, and harassment of 91 journalists since Tinubu’s inauguration.
“The Nigerian government’s suggestion that there has been no harassment of journalists since President Tinubu took office indicates an ambition to erase these abuses from the public consciousness and evade its responsibility for ensuring accountability,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “If authorities refuse to even recognize the existence of attacks on the press and prevailing impunity, they cannot claim to respect the safety of journalists and the public’s right to know.”
The map details incidents involving 91 journalists across 12 Nigerian states and the national capital, Abuja, with four of those journalists — Karina Adobaba-Harry, Nurudeen Akewushola, Adefemola Akintade, and Precious Eze Chukwunonso— arrested, attacked, or harassed at least twice on separate occasions. Another journalist, Bernard Akede, was harassed or attacked on three separate occasions.
In April, CPJ and five local press freedom groups wrote a public letter to Tinubu raising concern about Shettima’s comments and providing detailed evidence of attacks during his tenure. The letter also noted Nigerian officials’ previous false claims and mischaracterizations about the press freedom situation. There was no reply.
“When the Nigerian government says the sky is blue, you should go outside and check again,” Adobaba-Harry told CPJ in a video interview, reacting to the government suggestion that journalists had not been harassed.
Watch CPJ’s interviews with News Central TV camera operator Adobaba-Harry, Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Sodeeq Atanda, and WikkiTimes reporter Yawale Adamu below.
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