Coalition Condemns Continued Use of Oppressive Laws to Suppress the Media

Monday, September 5, 2022: The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has accused the Nigerian Government of using oppressive laws to stifle media freedom in the country. The group calls on the authorities to immediately drop all criminal charges against journalists being unfairly charged, including Mr Lukas Binniyat, a human right reporter; Ifreke Nseowo, publisher of TheMail Newspaper; and Mr Agba Jalingo, a journalist and publisher of Cross River Watch.

The Coalition observed that attacks on journalists had spiraled in recent times, citing the cases of Mr Binniyat, who was arrested and charged with cybercrime offense over an article he wrote and remains in custody; Mr Nseowo, who has been charged with criminal libel over a report published by TheMail newspaper; and Mr Jalingo who has been a victim of repeated attacks by Government officials with the police laying siege in his home in the most recent incident, following which he arrested over a petition filed against him alleging defamation.

It noted that the continued arrests and harassment of journalists by state actors was an indication of the unwillingness of the government to amend its laws in accordance with globally accepted norms and standards, and to recognise the role that journalists play in a democracy.

The coalition also described the continued attacks by Nigerian Government officials and agents, using repressive laws, as a flagrant violation of the order of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in its July 14, 2022 judgment in the consolidated suits over the indefinite suspension of access to Twitter in Nigeria.

It urged the Nigerian authorities to take immediate steps to implement the judgment in order to put an end to the ongoing criminalisation of the journalism profession and in the interim, put a stop to the use of such laws to obstruct the work of journalists or to harass and intimidate them for doing carrying out their professional duties.

The Coalition also condemned the low level of tolerance by the Government for views critical of its policies and actions under democratic rule, saying the result is that the media has continued to be subject to scare tactics and intimidation by the Government.

It called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Binniyat from custody and asked the Government to drop all charges against him. It also called on the Government to pay compensation to Mr Chidi Ngadiuba who was initially arrested illegally in lieu of Mr Nseowo and drop all charges against him.

Describing the manner of Mr Jalingo’s arrest as bizarre, the Coalition called on the Government to stop all further acts of harassment and intimidation directed at the journalist and allow him to continue his work unmolested. It noted that anyone alleging that they have been defamed by anything published by Mr. Jalingo should be advised to seek redress through the courts using civil defamation procedures.

It insisted that if the government, its institutions or officials felt that their reputations had been unfairly tarnished, they had the right to institute libel suits against the authors or publishers of such publications, using civil proceedings rather than criminal charges.

Signed:

CWPPF Secretariat

The CWPPF is a group of media and civil society organizations committed to upholding democracy and good governance by protecting the ethos of whistleblowing, freedom of expression and press freedom.

CWPPF members

Premium Times

OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative

The Cable

Daily Trust Newspaper

International Centre for Investigative Reporting

Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism

Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ)

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

Civic Media Lab

Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC)

International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)