The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has vowed to fiercely resist further attacks on journalists in the country, with President Musikilu Mojeed stating, “Journalism is not a crime, and journalists are not criminals. We will not tolerate any form of intimidation or violence against media practitioners.”
Speaking at the 2025 IPI Nigeria Conference and Annual General Meeting in Abuja, Mojeed highlighted the deteriorating press freedom situation in Nigeria, citing the country’s plummeting ranking from 112 to 122 in the global Press Freedom Index.
“This is not a beautiful portrayal of our country, but the description is not baseless. Journalists are monitored, attacked, and arbitrarily arrested: Completely lawful reporting activities have become dangerous acts,” he said.
Mojeed called on the government to address the culture of impunity and review laws that enable abuse, particularly the cybercrime and outdated criminal defamation provisions. “The Constitution protects freedom of expression. The courts have affirmed it. But in practice, we continue to see arbitrary arrests, intimidation, censorship, and violence,” he emphasized.
In a bold move, IPI Nigeria has listed the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, and two governors, Imo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State, in its Book of Infamy for their roles in suppressing press freedom.
The Book of Infamy was unveiled by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who promised to reach out to the accused officials to address the issues. “I will reach out to all those accused of having breached the rights of journalists,” he said.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasized the importance of a free and independent press in a functioning democracy, stating, “A sure-footed, critical, and independent press is the central nervous system of a functioning democracy. It is significantly the mechanism through which a nation holds a conversation with itself.”
Idris assured that the Tinubu administration is committed to protecting press freedom and promoting transparency, citing the recent example of the government’s response to a false story alleging that Nigeria had adopted LGBTQ+ rights.
“We categorically rejected the old playbook of coercion, which would only have inflamed tensions. Instead, we pursued transparency, immediately publishing the full, unadulterated agreement to demonstrate its content had no such provisions,” he said.
