Coalition decries media censorship, attacks on journalists

The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the growing trend of media censorship by state authorities in Nigeria.

A statement from the coalition on the occasion of the 2019 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists said public officers and influential individuals were becoming increasingly intolerant of critical reporting and fair comments by journalists and therefore, now resort to the use of instruments of state criminal justice system to suppress freedom of expression and free press.

Members of the coalition include the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Civic Media Lab, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), Daily Trust Newspaper, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), International Press Centre (IPC), HEDA Resource Centre, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The others are; OrderPaper, Paradigm Initiative (P.I), Premium Times (PT), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Sahara Reporters (SR), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), The Cable and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).

“From January 2019 till date, we have recorded 71 attacks on the media, including arrests, intimidation, detention and killings. We, as a coalition, totally condemn this abuse of power by state actors and security agencies,” it said.

It faulted the flagrant disobedience of court orders and charges of treason, terrorism and cybercrimes against citizens by federal and state governments, saying such sets a dangerous precedence in the misuse of state organs to silence free expression.

It cited the recent ordeals of journalists including Jones Abiri and Omoyele Sowore, in the hands of government officials, saying it was unacceptable.