THE Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom, CWPPF,  again has condemned the growing trend of state security attacks on journalists and news media houses publishing investigative reports about public officials involved in corruption.

This dangerous trend threatens the health of the Nigerian news media and the resilience of our country’s democracy.  

On Thursday, December 30, Tony Ufoh a journalist with Punch Newspaper was harassed by the Nigerian Special Police Fraud Unit [SFU] in the line of duty in Milverton Ikoyi area of Lagos. Mr. Ufoh was speaking to tenants who were reportedly defrauded by a developer when he was accosted by the police and his phone and Identity card were forcibly taken and still unreturned.

The group in a statement said the rising pattern of attacks, and its evident constitutional breach, raise worrying concerns for the protection of citizen’s rights, the ability of the state to ensure effective governance, and the statutory obligation of the news media to hold the government and state officials accountable as required by the 1999 constitution.

“For the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari which came to power ostensibly to rid the country of corruption, this flagrant abuse of state power and resources by its agents blemishes its preparedness to enable the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.

“The police, on its part, is best served to restrain from abusing its powers using strong-arm tactics against the news media when its concerns should indeed be unravelling the alleged complicity of one of its officers in an act of corruption.”

CWPPF, therefore, called on the government to take prompt measures to end these attacks on the news media, protect journalists from corrupt government officials exposed by journalists through their investigative reporting, and institute cautionary and disciplinary action against state actors who continue unruly attitudes towards journalists and citizens. 

“The graver danger is that if allowed to fester, this trend of attack on journalists for their legitimate reporting duty will embolden others, threatening journalism practice and freedom of the press in Nigeria, and – exposing a critical pillar for building and sustaining democracy in our country to jeopardy.”

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

CWPPF members include:

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)

International Press Centre (IPC)

Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)

Paradigm Initiative

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)

HEDA Resources Centre.