#EndBadGovernance: AFRICMIL asks police to stop attacking journalists, protect protesters

A group, the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), has expressed dismay over the police manhandling of journalists and other Nigerians protesting against economic hardship in the country.

Coordinator of the group, Chido Onumah, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said attacking journalists for covering protests infringes on their rights of freedom of assembly and expression within the country’s extant laws.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that 31 journalists faced brutality from police and other security agencies during the economic hardship protest, which began on 1 August.

On Saturday, the police attacked some journalists, including reporters of this newspaper, while covering the hardship protest in Abuja.

“We strongly condemn the violence against journalists and other citizens by the police as citizens exercise their constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and expression within the extant laws of the country.

“Attacking journalists for covering the protests infringes on a constitutional provision that clearly establishes citizens’ right to freedom of expression and the freedom of the press.

“To be clear, Chapter 4 Section 39 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999) states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference,” it said.

It called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to call his men to order, and immediately stop all forms of harassment of journalists for doing their job.

Read the full statement:

The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) notes with dismay disheartening media reports about the manhandling of journalists and other citizens by the police as the #EndBadGovernance protests that began August 1, 2024, continue in some states across the country.

We strongly condemn the violence against journalists and other citizens by the police as citizens exercise their constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and expression within the extant laws of the country.

Attacking journalists for covering the protests infringes on a constitutional provision that clearly establishes citizens’ right to freedom of expression and the freedom of the press.

To be clear, Chapter 4 Section 39 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999) states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”

We note that it is a flagrant violation of this law for the police to attack journalists for doing their work and to equally brutalise other citizens for exercising the right to protest. We therefore call on the Inspector General of Police to call erring officers to order and stop the police attacks on journalists and protesters.

It is important to note that the #EndBadGovernance protests did not appear from thin air. The protests emanated from the acute hardship foisted on Nigerians by ill-advised policies, reckless government expenditure, and mismanagement of the economy.

We recall that since May 29, 2023, when the current administration abruptly announced an end to fuel subsidy and followed it up with the floating of the naira, Nigerians have faced an unsustainable rise in the prices of goods and services, a knock-on effect of the unplanned and badly conceived twin policies. Despite the abrupt implementation of the fuel subsidy removal without putting in place measures to cushion the consequent hardship on citizens, the government has been on a grossly insensitive pursuit of luxuries, including billions of naira spent on a new residence for the Vice President, hundreds of millions of naira spent on the purchase of new sport utility vehicles for federal lawmakers, and other frivolous expenditures that have no positive impact on society.

Following such abhorrent disregard for the suffering of citizens by the government, it is understandable that Nigerians are exercising their constitutional right of freedom of assembly and expression within the ambit of the law, as seen in the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country.

For the avoidance of doubt, by the #EndBadGovernance protests, Nigerians are simply Nigerians making their voices heard about the mass suffering in the land. As such, the police have no reason to attack journalists covering the protests, nor do they have any reason to attack citizens participating in the protests.

We therefore reiterate our call on the Inspector General of Police to call his men to order and immediately stop all forms of harassment of journalists for doing their job.

Chido Onumah, PhD

Coordinator, AFRICMIL