The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Nigerian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into recent attacks on journalists following a court judgment.
In 2021, the Nigerian local press freedom group Media Rights Agenda (MRA) filed a lawsuit urging the court to compel the federal government to investigate and prosecute attacks on the press.
On February 16, the court ruled in favor of MRA, declaring the government’s failure to take effective legal action against perpetrators of attacks on journalists a breach of its statutory duty and the court ordered the government to prevent such attacks and hold the responsible parties accountable.
“Authorities in Nigeria must take immediate and transparent steps to adhere to the federal high court ruling instructing them to investigate and prosecute those responsible for attacking and killing journalists,” stated Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York. “Ensuring justice for slain or attacked journalists would demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to enhancing press freedom.”
While the judgment addressed journalists’ rights overall, MRA’s lawsuit cited specific examples of unsolved journalist killings, including Dele Giwa, co-founder of NewsWatch magazine, who was killed by a letter bomb in 1986; Bolade Fasasi, shot dead in 1998; and Omololu Falobi, shot dead in 2006.
In August 2023, CPJ wrote to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, urging prompt and deliberate actions to improve press conditions. The letter highlighted the killing of at least 22 journalists in Nigeria since 1992, with two others missing and presumed dead. At least 12 of these journalists were confirmed to have been killed in connection with their work.
CPJ attempted to reach Federal Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Kamarudeen Ogundele for comment, but he declined. Nigeria’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami previously mischaracterized CPJ’s research on attacks against journalists, erroneously claiming that no journalist had been killed in the country.
Nigerian authorities have a history of disregarding court rulings supporting journalists, their families, and press freedom.
Last year, an Abuja high court ordered Nigeria’s police to compensate the family of Regent Africa Times editor Alex Ogbu, who was shot and killed by police officers in January 2020. In 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ordered authorities to compensate CrossRiverWatch publisher Agba Jalingo for his prolonged detention and mistreatment in custody. Nigerian authorities have yet to comply with these rulings.