NACAT Condemns Rampant Arrest, Abduction of Journalists by Security Agencies

A civil society organisation, the Network against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has condemned in strong terms the rampant arrest and abduction of investigative journalists across the country.
It said the trend portends a drift to authoritarianism which it said undermined the core principles of democratic rule.
It said the development also violates the fundamental rights enshrined
in both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights instruments.
“We have been watching with disdain, the alarming trend of arrests, detentions, and harassment of
investigative journalists by the Nigerian government.
“This egregious assault on press freedom not
only undermines the core principles of democracy but also violates the fundamental rights enshrined
in both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights instruments.
“For the records, section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria guarantees freedom of expression and
the press”, it said.
A statement issued in Abuja and signed by its Operations Manager, Stanley Ugagbe, said “Section 22 places a responsibility on the press to hold the government and the
people accountable at all times. These constitutional safeguards are vital to the health of our
democracy, and any attempt to stifle the press is an affront to the rule of law.
“More so, Nigeria is a signatory to various international treaties and conventions that recognise the
right of the press as fundamental to the existence of democracy.
The actions of the current
administration under President Bola Tinubu, however, demonstrate a blatant disregard for these
commitments”.
The statement further noted that since May of this year, at least five high-profile
investigative journalists were unlawfully arrested, detained, and subjected to intimidation and
threats by government agents.
“As an organisation that promotes human rights, we are deeply concerned that a nation like Nigeria
that is practicing democracy, is clamping down on the rights of journalists, deploying government
arsenal to suppress their voices and subjecting them to inhuman treatment.
“Disturbing records in the public domain have it that:
Daniel Ojukwu, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), went missing on
May 1 and was later found to be detained on allegations of violating the Cybercrimes Act”, it said.
His “crime”
was uncovering the truth about a fraudulent government transaction.
“Isaac Bristol (PIDOM), a microblogger known for his investigative work, was abducted from his hotel
room in Port Harcourt by 15 plainclothes policemen on August 5 and subjected to inhuman treatment.
“Isaac told representatives of this team that the police abducted and kept him in solitary confinement
for at least six days in an anti-kidnapping unit before transferring him to a different facility”, NACAT said.
“He later
ended up in the FCID’s custody. Presently, the police are demanding two Level 16 civil servants who
own landed property worth at least N500 million in Abuja as sureties for Bristol’s bail.
“Asking for a
civil servant to he worth N500 million is an invitation to corruption by the Nigerian Police as it will
take over 100 years for a civil servant to make such money and will only have to be corrupt to make
such amount of money.
“Is the police asking civil servants to start stealing public funds before they can
stand as sureties?”, it queried.
The Civil society group stayed further that Fisayo Soyombo, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of FIJ, was detained for eight hours by the Nigeria
Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja on August 14.
He has since been required to report
bi-weekly, a clear attempt to intimidate him and curtail his journalistic activities.
It said Abdulrasheed Hammad, a freelance journalist, was threatened by the Department of State Services
(DSS) after publishing an investigative story on contaminated water in Sokoto State.
“Adejuwon Soyinka, West Africa editor for The Conversation Africa, was detained by the DSS for six
hours on August 27, following his return from the UK.
“His detention was based on the spurious claim
of irregularities with his passport, a clear tactic to intimidate him for his investigative work.
“These actions are a direct attack on the freedom of the press and a dangerous step toward
authoritarianism.
“The press plays a crucial role in uncovering the truth and holding power to account”, it said.
The statement noted that investigative journalists, in particular, are the watchdogs of society, shining a light on corruption,
injustice, and abuse of power.
“They are protected by the laws that guarantee freedom of expression in
a democracy, and any attempt to silence them is an affront to justice and human rights.
“It is even bemusing that agents of the Nigerian Government can easily track and arrest investigative
journalists, clampdown on those who air their grievances over the failed policies of the government
that have subjected the people to untold hardship but cannot track and arrest terrorists and kidnappers
who have turned the nation into a crime zone, making Nigerians to live in perpetual fear”, it said.
“Today, it
only takes the grace of God to go to the farm and return alive and even takes a higher grace to travel
on Nigerian roads and get to your destination without being kidnapped.
“NACAT demands immediate justice and accountability for these journalists especially for Isaac who
is still being held in detention. The Nigerian government must put an end to these egregious attacks on
press freedom and ensure that those responsible for these violations are held accountable”, the group said.
“We are
troubled that if these actions continue, Nigeria risks degenerating into a lawless society where
journalists are silenced or simply disappear for doing their job.
“This is not the Nigeria we want or
deserve.
We are startled that President Bola Tinubu who has had a taste of a repressive government and was
forced into exile by the late General Sani Abacha’s military junta, has now turned around to become
an oppressor of the Nigerian people.
“We urged the President to rescind on this trajectory and keep to
his words to promote the rule of law, adhere to the principles of separation of powers, and tolerate
dissenting views within the ambit of the laws of Nigeria”, it said.
NACAT, therefore, called on “all Nigerians and the international community to stand with us in defending press freedom.
“We seek an open society where citizens can express themselves freely, have access to unclassified
information, and where the government is fully accountable to the people. These are the minimum
requirements of the new society we seek, and we will not rest until they are achieved”, it said.