AN editor with Nigerian online newspaper Pinnacle Daily, Sunday Michael Ogwu, has been beaten up by police officers attached to the Lugbe Police Station in Abuja while documenting a demolition exercise in the area.
Ogwu, who made this known in a voice recording obtained by The ICIR on Wednesday, August 19, said he encountered the operation while taking an evening stroll and began documenting what he described as a joint exercise involving the police and members of a vigilante group.
He said the officers then seized his phone and ordered some of their colleagues to beat him.
“I was badly beaten. Eventually, they said they would take me to the station, and then they asked me to leave,” Ogwu said.
He said he later documented the incident and published it on social media, after which the officers sent people after him.
Ogwu said the officers eventually took his phone, adding that he saw “Lugbe Police Station” written on one of the pickup vans used for the operation.
He said he repeatedly asked the officers to identify the leader of the operation, but they refused.
“I saw Lugbe Police Station written on the van of one of the pickups that they came out for the special operation with. I asked them repeatedly to tell me who was the leader of that operation, but they refused,” he said.
In another video posted on his Facebook page, the editor said the officers asked whether he had permission to cover the exercise. He said he told them he did not need permission to cover such an exercise.
”I told them this is a public function and I don’t think what you are doing is illegal. If you’re carrying out proper work, you shouldn’t be afraid a journalist is covering it. Instead, I was given several strokes and was asked to leave,” he said.
The ICIR contacted the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, but she asked the reporter to call back in 30 minutes.
Later, Adeh said the police officers who assaulted the journalists couldn’t have been officers attached to the FCT, adding that “we don’t even get involved in demolitions; FCTA is the right place to channel your inquiry.”
She, however, urged that the assaulted journalist reach out to her personally to trace the officers involved while also stressing that he file a report.
Abuja tops journalist attacks under Tinubu
The incident comes against the backdrop of persistent concerns over attacks and harassment of journalists in Nigeria.
In May, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented at least 91 journalists who had been arrested, physically attacked or harassed across Nigeria since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
The CPJ data showed that the Federal Capital Territory recorded the highest number of incidents, with 30 journalists targeted during the period.
Six journalists were arrested, 22 were physically attacked, while three were harassed in Abuja, according to the organisation.
Three ICIR journalists — Mustapha Usman, Nurudeen Akewushola and Johnson Fatunmbi — were among those the CPJ listed as having been physically attacked.
The ICIR had previously reported how journalists covering the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja escaped death after security operatives opened fire on protesters and journalists at the MKO Abiola National Stadium.
The CPJ report also identified Lagos, Kano and Borno among states where journalists faced significant attacks and arrests during the period.
Kano recorded 13 physical attacks on journalists, the highest number of such incidents outside the FCT, while Borno recorded nine arrests.
The organisation said its findings contradicted comments by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who had suggested in February that journalists had not been harassed since Tinubu assumed office.
CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal accused the government of attempting to erase documented abuses against journalists and called for accountability.
The latest incident involving Ogwu adds to concerns about the safety of journalists working in Nigeria, particularly those documenting the activities of security agencies and government authorities.
Ogwu said he was making the report because he feared that the officers could take him into custody.
“If you don’t hear from me, just know that I’m in the custody of the Nigerian police in the Lugbe division,” he said.
The circumstances surrounding the demolition operation, including the agency responsible for the exercise and the reason for the demolition, were not immediately clear.
Editor’s note: This report was updated to include the response of the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M