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The latest report by the CJID’s Press Attack Tracker (PAT), a civic technology tool that tracks, verifies, and documents incidents of press freedom violations in Nigeria, has revealed that no fewer than149 Nigerian journalists were deliberately attacked, brutalized, and harassed by Nigerian security agencies and government in the last year.
According to the report, Nigerian journalists continue to face various
forms of attacks, including harassment, intimidation, violence, and even kidnap, all of which hamper citizen participation and weaken accountability mechanisms.
The report disclosed that under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there has been a disturbing
escalation of attacks on the press in incidents involving unlawful arrest, harassment, intimidation, violence, and detention of journalists who are simply carrying out their professional and constitutional duties.
It stated that these actions threaten the safety and lives of
journalists and media professionals and undermine the fundamental principles of freedom of expression and the press.
“Between May 29, 2023, when President Tinubu was sworn in as the Nigerian President, and October 2024, The Press Attack Tracker(PAT) tracked, verified, and documented 142 incidents of press freedom violations, most of which were perpetrated by the various security agents and other state actors including elected and appointed public office holders.
“In 2024 alone, the CJID’s Press Attack Tracker has documented 135 verified
cases of press attacks. The ongoing wave of press freedom violations, largely attributed to state actors, signals an alarming trend that endangers the safety of journalists and threatens the democratic principles of free speech and accountability.
It added that journalists and the media in Nigeria witnessed a heightened attack during the #EndBadGovernace Protest during which 68 cases of press freedom violations were recorded by the press attack tracker.
Read the full report by CIJD’s Press Attack Tracker (PAT) *here*
