The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, condemns in strong terms the harassment and molestation of Mr. Haruna Mohammed, the publisher of WikkiTimes online newspaper and one of the reporters, Mr. Idris Kamal, by the Police in Bauchi, Bauchi State.

The ordeal of the two journalists began on Monday, June 27, 2022, when they honoured an invitation from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) following a petition by Mr. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Bauchi Federal Constituency  concerning a Wikki Times report of May 18, 2022 on the sudden death of Chairman of the All Progressive Peoples Congress (APC) in Bauchi Local Government area of the State.

The journalists arrived the station about 10am on Monday but after making a statement they were clamped into a cell where they alleged that they were physically assaulted. Despite the presence of their Lawyer at the Police Station, they were not set free until about 10 hours later and asked to report back on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 for further interrogation.

The two journalists again reported at the SCIID Bauchi on Tuesday as directed but were promptly taken before a Bauchi Magistrates Court where they were charged for criminal conspiracy, defamation of character and cyber stalking. The court ruled that they should be held in custody until tomorrow, Wednesday June 29, 2022.

IPC is worried about this trend of events and calls on the Police Command in Bauchi to avoid being used as tools of harassment against the journalists. “Since the petitioner alleged defamation, the Police should have in the first instance advised him to seek legal redress instead of illegally detaining the journalists for 10 hours on Monday, June 27, 2022 and subjecting them to physical and mental harassment in the process”, Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said in a statement. He added that it now behoves on the Police authorities in the State to ensure the safety of Mohammed and Kamal.

Mr. Arogundade said journalists should not continue to be treated as endangered species in Nigeria, stating that in all circumstances the security agencies must always strive to toe the path of the rule of law in handling complaints or petitions against journalists and other media professionals, just as they should normally do for all citizens.

Toyin Ayoade
Communications Officer, IPC
[email protected]

On June 19, 2022, hoodlums attacked journalists attached to the Lagos State Government House who were on the entourage of the state governor to welcome the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was returning to Lagos from Abuja after the party’s presidential primary election.

The journalists were attacked on the Ebute-Ero link Bridge by the hoodlums with stones, and cutlasses, while returning from the Palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, in Isale-Eko, where Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had gone to pay homage to the King.

During the attack that lasted for more than 10 minutes, the hoodlums also destroyed the windows of the vehicle conveying the journalists with some of them sustaining injuries.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu condemned the attack and ordered an investigation into the attack.

This was contained in a press statement by the Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on Monday.

In the statement, Gov. Sanwo-Olu directed that those involved must be fished out and made to face the law. He also promised that the government will pick the hospital bills of those injured in the incident.

The governor vowed that “Nobody or group will be allowed to destroy our cordial relationship with the media,” adding “Lagos has no room for hooligans.”

In June 2020, a coalition of civil society groups launched an interactive portal to track and analyse disinformation laws, policies and patterns of enforcement across Africa. The portal was developed against a backdrop of rapidly accelerating state action on COVID-19 disinformation.

Two years on, as online disinformation is increasingly becoming prevalent, spurred by the growth in access to the internet and social media platforms, more African governments have devised new ways of countering and responding to disinformation, which are often in conflict with international human rights standards.  In an effort to continue keeping track of regulatory approaches and policy responses to disinformation on the continent and serve as a reference tool for human rights advocates, a revamped portal with dynamic features and multilingual data has been launched. The revamped platform is dubbed Lexota – Laws on Expression Online: Tracker and Analysis.

Speaking at Lexota’s launch on May 10, 2022, Jacqueline Rowe, Policy Officer at Global Partners Digital, noted that it is crucial for civil society organisations, internet freedom actors, and human rights defenders in the region to have up-to-date and accurate information on disinformation laws and policies to inform effective advocacy against problematic restrictions with implications on human rights.

In her keynote address at the launch, Julie Owono, the Executive Director of Internet Sans Frontières, noted that governments across the world are increasingly responding to the spread of disinformation online through legal restrictions, increased surveillance, and internet shutdowns – all of which pose risks for individual human rights. Owono stated that these trends are particularly noticeable in Sub-Saharan Africa where nearly every country has a vague law or policy that includes restrictions on sharing or publishing false information online. Indeed, recent research shows that given the broad definitions of what constitutes disinformation in various laws, provisions had been weaponised to silence critics, shrink civic space, and hand authoritarian governments an excuse to assert greater power over the digital sphere.

The impact of disinformation on journalism was highlighted by Muthoni Mumo, the Sub-Saharan Africa representative at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). “Disinformation laws have been weaponised to arrest and prosecute journalists arbitrarily in the guise of fighting fake news and propaganda,” said Mumo. She cited a recent case in Somaliland – a breakaway state in Somalia – where a number of journalists were arrested in April 2022 for reporting on a prison riot. Although some of the journalists have since been released, three remained in jail for allegedly posting propaganda and reporting false news.

According to Edrine Wanyama, the Legal Officer at the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Lexota provides a comparative understanding of the disparities in the disinformation legal landscape in Africa, including legitimate and illegitimate measures and responses. Similarly, Sylvie Siyam from PROTÉGÉ QV stated that beyond being used as a source of information and research, Lexota will be a critical advocacy tool for policymaking and sharing of best practices with regard to combating disinformation while upholding human rights.

Lexota’s launch called for more skills development in digital literacy and fact-checking for citizens and government officials. Owono stated that government officials were “some of the biggest purveyors of disinformation and they should be educated to know that buying into any disinformation campaign will not win an election. Restoring trust with citizens can help that.” The launch also called for increased stakeholder participation in policy processes as well as strategic litigation to challenge regressive laws.

Lexota partners – Article 19 West Africa, CIPESA, Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, Global Partners Digital, and Protege QV – are undertaking capacity building, national and regional advocacy on disinformation and freedom of expression across Africa. To date, CIPESA has conducted training on disinformation and human rights advocacy in Arusha, Tanzania, and Mbarara, Uganda benefiting over 45 individuals, including journalists, civil society actors, lawyers, and academia.

In addition, CIPESA delivered a lecture on disinformation and electoral processes as part of the Association of World Election Bodies (AWEB) capacity-building programme on elections and media. The lecture explored current trends, aspects of disinformation, and their impact on elections; existing responses to disinformation threats and their effectiveness; and good practices to combat the spread of disinformation. Further, it explored the roles and strategies of election management bodies to counter disinformation; as well as media monitoring and oversight. The engagements build on past regional skilling efforts by CIPESA and Global Partners Digital.

For immediate release: Wednesday June 1^st, 2022: The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria today (Wednesday June 1, 2022) expressed concern over the renewed wave of attacks on journalists including those covering the primaries by political parties.

IPC said its Safety of Journalists Alert Desk has documented the following recent attacks, among others:

• The shooting by the Police of Toba Adedeji, the Osun State Correspondent of The Nation newspaper while covering a protest over alleged police brutality in Osogbo, the state capital on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. He was injured on the thigh and had to be treated in hospital;

• The attack, harassment and beating by Policemen of Yinka Adeniran, the Oyo State Correspondent of The Nation newspaper while covering the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary at Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan on the May 25, 2022;

• The attack by suspected political thugs on the vehicle conveying members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Osun State Council of NUJ on May 24^th, 2022 while covering the campaign by the State Governor in Gbogan in Aiyedaade Local Government Area; and

• The arrest of three journalists – Deborah Coker of News Agency of Nigeria, Sunny Inarumen of African Independent Television and Osamuyi Ogbomo, cameraman with Independent Television on May 24, 2022 in Benin, Edo State Capital, while covering a factional primary of the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement, the Press Freedom Officer of IPC, Mrs. Melody Lawal, said the attacks represent a return to the regime of repression of journalists and other media professionals in Nigeria, adding that such development constitutes grave danger for press freedom and freedom of expression.

“We condemn the attacks and demand the apprehension and trial of the alleged perpetrators so that justice can be served”, Mrs. Lawal said.

Making specific reference to the attacks on journalists on electoral duty, she said political parties need to be reminded that the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage requires them to grant access to journalists interested in covering their activities including primaries, while taking measures to protect them from aggrieved party members or political thugs.

IPC said that it has become an urgent imperative for the leadership of the security agencies to enlighten their officials on the need to accord respect to journalists covering events of public interest and refrain from assaulting them.

At about 6.20 am on April 10, 2022, three armed men, suspected to be robbers stormed the premises of a private radio station, Fresh 105.9 FM, located in  Ibadan, Nigeria. A live programme airing at the time of the attack was temporarily taken off air while they operated.

The robbers who arrived at the station on motorbikes ransacked all the departments and offices at the station and made away with property belonging to members of staff at the station including recorders, smartphones, laptops, ATM cards, and other valuables. No person was hurt during the attack.

The radio station belongs to gospel musician, Mr. Yinka Ayefele.