Press Freedom: Reps warn police, security agencies over attacks on journalists

The House of Representatives has condemned the unlawful arrest and detention of journalists by law enforcement agencies.

The lower chamber reached this resolution on Thursday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa-Ibom) during plenary.

Attacks on Press Freedom

In the past couple of years, press freedom has been on the decline in Nigeria. Experts believe that there is a shrinking of the civic space under President Bola Tinubu.

In the last year, security agencies have used the infamous Cybercrime Act 2015 to hound journalists. This is despite the amendment of the law.

In 2024 alone, the Centre for Journalism and CJID’s Press Attack Tracker has so far tracked, verified, and documented 23 cases of press freedom violations against journalists in Nigeria, a development that shows the country still has a long way to go in tolerating dissenting views.

In 2023, a total of 108 cases of press attacks were documented by the Press Attack Tracker; 23 of the cases were documented between 29 May and December 2023.

Despite all the attacks, the National Assembly had remained quiet until this latest motion.

The Motion

Moving the motion, Mr Jimbo, who represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, said the freedom of the press is a fundamental right enshrined in Section 39 subsection (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which guarantees journalists the ability to report news without fear of arrest or persecution.

Mr Jimbo stated that the fundamental rights of journalists to carry out their responsibilities are being threatened by the actions of the security agencies, who have been attacking them under spurious claims.

“There has been a troubling increase in the number of journalists being unlawfully arrested, detained, and harassed for carrying out their professional duties relying on the offence of Cyber-Stalking within the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.

“In recent times, between 2015 and 2024, there has been incessant unwarranted arrest, unlawful detention, and several other forms of harassment and intimidation meted out to at least 25 journalists in the course of their duty, which is threatening the very fundamental pillar of democracy, culminating in a breach of their constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech.

“Earlier this year, the president signed the Amended Act with a substantial adjustment to Section 24, which listed what constitutes cyber-stalking and provided the punishment for such offences. However, law enforcement agents have neglected this aspect and continued their clampdown on free speech. Regrettably, at least 10 journalists have been arrested in the past year, and 15 of them in the last regime,” he said.

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Following the presentation of the motion, the House resolved to send a very strong warning to perpetrators of this unwholesome act and make it abundantly clear that protecting the rights of journalists is not only important for upholding democracy but also for safeguarding the principles of free speech and human rights.

The House also urged the Nigerian Police and other law enforcement agencies to cautiously and democratically rely on Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act 2015, as amended, and/or charge anyone, including journalists, to court if they have violated any law of the land instead of depriving them of their constitutional rights.

The House resolved to pass laws to strengthen press freedom protections, conduct inquiries into recent cases of journalist detention, and engage in diplomatic efforts to pressure the government to respect press freedom.

The motion was adopted without debate. The lawmakers voted in support of the motion when it was put to a vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

Mr Tajudeen subsequently directed the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance with the resolutions.