THE Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the recent attack on the Lagos office of the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) by unknown persons.
In a statement released on Tuesday, January 25, the Coalition described the attack as one of many repressive practices in the coordinated onslaught against media and press freedom in Nigeria.
Parts of the statement read: “Over the years, the MRA has remained a critical pillar advancing the protection of digital rights and press freedom in Nigeria – two defining components of our nascent democracy. We are deeply concerned by the carting away of laptops, hard drives and other devices worth millions of naira, containing sensitive information from years of diligent and impactful work.
“This attack is one of many repressive practices in the coordinated onslaught against the media and press freedom in Nigeria. However, like other ones in the past, it will not dampen our spirit, affect our capacity to carry out our work of promoting and defending media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information in Nigeria.”
The Coalition called on the police and other security agencies to intensify investigations to arrest the attackers, unravel the motive behind the act and recover the items that were carted away.
CEWPF further reiterated the unwavering commitment of the MRA and its partners in supporting and entrenching the ideals of democracy in Nigeria.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M