In the year 2022, at least 66 journalists working in Nigerian media outlets and three media houses were victims of various forms of assault.
On Friday, the Programme Officer of the International Press Centre, Mrs. Melody Akinjiyan, made this information public while presenting a report on attacks on journalists in 2022 at the World Press Freedom Day Media Roundtable and Stakeholders’ Forum on Journalists’ Safety and Protecting Freedom of Expression in the Age of Misinformation and Disinformation in Ibadan, Oyo State. The report was part of the World Press Freedom Day Media Roundtable and Stakeholders’ Forum.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the event was put on by the IPC in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, and with financial support from the Open Society Foundation.
The IPC Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, is said to have been responsible for launching the centre for the safety and protection of journalists, according to NAN.
According to Akinjiyan, the alarming increase in the number of reported assaults on journalists from over 40 incidents in 2021 to 66 incidents in 2022 was documented in the year 2022.
She enumerated the various types of assaults as follows: physical assault (24), abduction (seven), gun attack (1), threats to life (2), threat to disclose source/intimidation (2), invasion (1), media shutdown (1), and robbery (1).
Other examples include the hacking of an account (1), the denial of access to information (1), harassment (2), unlawful arrest and detention (21) and the threat of sanctions or payments of fines (2).
“There are 10 female journalists and 56 male journalists in total. There are a total of thirteen print journalists, twenty-six broadcast journalists, twenty-four online media practitioners, and three other individuals.
Twenty-six of the journalists are from the South West, sixteen are from the North Central, ten come from the South South, six come from the North East, four come from the North West, and ten come from the South East.
She stated that the states that were affected by the incident include Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Enugu, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Cross River, and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
The programme officer stated that the various attacks, as they have been reported, were allegedly carried out by security agencies, political thugs, armed robbers, and militant groups such as the Islamic State’s of West Africa Province.
However, Akinjiyan urged journalists to demonstrate a greater sense of solidarity in the face of attacks on the media and abuses of the rights of colleagues working in the same profession.
She went on to explain that the figures that were compiled were the only ones that had been reported out of the several cases that had not been reported, and she urged journalists to report information about attacks to the IPC.
Akinjiyan urged journalists to always put issues concerning attacks on journalists, the safety of journalists, freedom for journalists, and the welfare of journalists at the forefront of their work.
While Arogundade was introducing the International Committee to Protect Journalists (I-CSPJ), he stated that the organization’s mission was to contribute to the future of rights by advocating for and promoting the safety of journalists.
He stated that the establishment’s other purpose was to raise awareness on the necessity of protecting journalists, particularly because these individuals serve as workers on the frontline during times of crisis or emergency.
“The overarching framework for the establishment of I-CSPJ is the strategic objective of expanding the frontiers of press freedom in Nigeria and Africa; the safety of journalists is an integral part of this process.”
Because of this, the objective of the International Centre for Journalists’ Safety and Security (I-CSPJ) is to advocate for and promote the safety of journalists.
“and creating awareness on the imperative of protecting journalists especially as they serve as frontline workers during crisis or emergency situations,” he said. “[This] is particularly important given the role that journalists play during times of crisis or emergency.”
“Shaping a future of rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights,” was going to be the theme of the 2023 World Press Freedom Day, according to the chairman of the IPC.
According to Arogundade, the theme suggested that the right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom of the press as an embedded component, was the forerunner of other human rights.
According to NAN, the discussion at the roundtable resulted in a number of recommendations, one of which was the sponsorship of a regulatory bill for the practise of journalism.
The insurance scheme, improved emoluments, and welfare package options for journalists were among the other topics that were brought up during the discussion.
According to NAN, presentations were given at the event by Professor Tokunbo Adaja, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Joseph Ayo Babalola University, as well as Chief Ademola Babalola, Chairman of the Oyo State NUJ.
Others who attended the event included Mr. Bolaji Adeniyi, Vice-President (West) of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, and Mrs. Bolanle Ismail, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Crescent University in Abeokuta.
NAN
