19 Nigerian journalists killed in 23 years ― Media Rights Agenda

No fewer than 19 journalists were killed in Nigeria in the last 23 years of democratic governance.

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA), a civil society group for the promotion and protection of media freedom and the right to freedom of expression gave this revelation on Wednesday in Lagos at a news conference to commemorate this year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

Addressing journalists at the event, the Director of Programme of MRA, Ayode Longe, said it is not only that those journalists were killed, nobody is prosecuted let alone punished for their deaths to date.

He said the figure might be more but that is the number captured and documented by MRA and that the level of impunity for crimes against journalists in Nigeria is at the rooftop and the act should not be tolerated in any way anywhere in the country.

He said it is now 10 years after the United Nations had come up with a Plan of Action on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for crimes against them globally, Nigerian government, which is a signatory to the resolution has not taken concrete steps to stem the spate of attacks against journalists and other workers in the media industry.

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He said hundreds of attacks against journalists including killings had been reported and documented over the years in the country, yet, none of those cases was investigated by the security agents to a logical conclusion let alone the perpetrators arrested and prosecuted.

He said that is why everybody particularly the security agents and politicians and even thugs believes that they can harm any journalist in Nigeria and go scot-free.

He said if this claim was untrue, the government should cite any attack on Nigerian journalists or the media that it has investigated to a logical conclusion and share the outcome of such investigations including details of people arrested and prosecuted with the public.

He said it is the duty of government even in armed conflict situations to prevent attacks on journalists including murder, extra-judicial killing, torture, arbitrary arrest, detention, kidnapping, intimidation, threats and other forms of ill-treatment.

He said it is only under a safe environment that they would be able to perform their constitutional roles as society’s watchdog more effectively.

He said it is more disturbing that within last one year, for example, MRA collated and documented about 47 incidents of attacks against journalists and other media workers as well as media houses and found out that men and officers of Nigerian police are the major perpetrators of those attacks.

“Thugs and faceless gunmen followed closely in the number of attacks against journalists in Nigeria,” he added.

Ayode, therefore, said Nigeria cannot continue to treat journalists and media workers as if they are not human beings doing their legitimate duties.

He said as the country is preparing for another general election, the government should take proactive action geared towards the safety of journalists before, during and after the elections.