150 PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS, ATTACKS RECORDED IN FOUR YEARS- IPC

…….. EU Says 44 Journalists were killed in 2021

Oru Leonard

In commemoration of the 2021 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos in Nigeria has disclosed that there are 150 press freedom violations and attacks recorded in the last four years.

The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade who made disclosure in his welcome address at a Media/CSOs roundtable in Abuja to mark the Day, with the theme ‘Countering threats of violence against Journalists in Nigeria: The role of CSOs and other non-state actors’; noted that the figure came through monitoring and advocacy activities in the last four years (2016-2020) on press freedom and safety of journalists, a total of 150 press freedom violations and attacks have been recorded in Nigeria.

“As we mark the year 2021 IDEI, the whereabouts of Vanguard journalist and reporter in the House of Representatives, Tordue Salem, remains worrisomely unknown.

“This year alone, several acts of violence have been perpetrated on journalists and media professionals in the country with the most recent resulting from the #EndSARS one year anniversary protest in October”, Lanre lamented.

He called for urgent collaborative intervention between the media, the CSOs and other non-state actors to develop an Action Plan on defending press freedom and engaging state institutions, adding that the collaboration should promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to practice without threats.

Speaking, the European Union (EU), Delegation Representative, Wynyfred Egbuson, noted that 44 journalists have so far been killed in 2021 and many more attacked, unlawfully imprisoned, or missing, leaving their families awaiting news of their fate, sometimes for years.

Egbuson, said that the media coming under attacks from state and non-state actors does not portray any nation in good light, adding that such attacks are serious violations of human rights, and also perpetrators deprive citizens’ rights to information.

She also said there are more attempts to cut the space for free media around the world by systemically undermining their credibility and pledged that the EU will continue to stand for free press.

Also speaking, the Event Chair, Prof. Umaru Pate, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, called on Journalists to stand up for each other and shun trivialising attacks or issues that pertain to the safety of their colleagues based on religion, ethnicity, region or otherwise as an attack on one journalist, is an attack on all, as it could be any journalist tomorrow,

He disclosed that Journalism students will henceforth  be taken through and trained on issues relating to safety and how to protect themselves, as they must remain alive to report the story.

He noted that relationship between Civil Society and the media should be strategic. “We need a robust civil society sector, a safe and an independent journalism system, as well as a credible judiciary to ensure that Nigeria’s democracy is being safe”, he advised.

Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda, in his remarks berated the Nigerian government for not playing its primary role of ensuring the safety of the Journalist, by preventing attacks, investigating attacks, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators when attacks happen and ensuring that victims and their families have access to compensation.

“We must see an attack on Journalists as an attack on all of us and once we do that, we can also monitor the government’s responsibility and put pressure on the government to make public its periodic report to the United Nations on issues of the safety of journalists.

“No single case against journalists in Nigeria has been investigated and the perpetrators punished, instead, more journalists have been killed under our democracy than during military rule, so the environment is more dangerous for Journalists now.

“We need to do a lot of sensitization among ourselves about the scale of the problems, and If Journalists by chance can’t function because of these problems, we will have a country of ignorant people as it is becoming extremely difficult for Journalists to function in this country”, Ojo emphasised.

The National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Chris Isiguzo who spoke on behalf of media noted that threats and violence against media practice is on the increase,

As we speak, for 20 days a journalist has gone missing and the government seems not worried. It is worrisome, and a responsible government must know that its primary responsibility of governance is to ensure security of lives and property.

“If the people that you are presiding over are no longer safe, that means there is a problem, and you must find a way of addressing them”, he stressed.

The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Victor Aluma-Ayedun, Department of Mass Communication, University of Jos, and  Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, Executive Director, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism.

The event was facilitated by the International Press Centre with the support of the British Council/European Union-Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation.