PRESS freedom in Nigeria has come under renewed attack following two separate incidents in Bauchi and Niger states.
The attacks, perpetrated by state actors, have sparked outrage from Nigerians and global media bodies who are demanding urgent action from authorities, including identifying and sanctioning those responsible.
The ICIR reported how police allegedly smashed the head of Albarka Radio journalist, Mohammed Adamu, in Bauchi State over the weekend.
The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and West Africa Editors Society (WAES) were among civil society groups that condemned the assault.
The attack occurred in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area over the weekend, as Adamu was reportedly attacked by a police constable despite being in the company of other journalists.
As Adamu and other journalists attempted to access a designated media area to cover the Durbar festival to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, officers allegedly swooped on him.
The journalist alleged that the attack was led by the Divisional Police Officer, Jamilu Kabir, who ordered him to leave the venue without justification and prevented him from carrying out his duties despite proper identification.
According to WAES, the assault left the journalist injured and raised fresh concerns about press freedom and the safety of media professionals in Nigeria.
“Adamu has since been seen and treated in a hospital, and has returned home. The Bauchi police spokesperson, SP Nafi’u Habib, has told the media the police had been informed of the incident and would investigate and take necessary action.
“Police officers are under oath to protect life and property and to keep the peace. It is therefore troubling that police officers would be the ones violating journalists doing their job,” the statement read.
The body called on Bauchi State government to act swiftly, ensure a thorough investigation, and hold any officers found culpable accountable, noting that security operatives are duty-bound to protect citizens, including journalists.
“Police officers and all state security officers should be mindful of the important role journalists play in society. They do important work of gathering news and informing the public. They are to be protected and supported to do their job, which is in the public interest. We are calling on state authorities of Bauchi to act with dispatch, investigate this grave matter, and if any officers are found culpable, they should be duly made to face the law,” it added.
In its reaction, MRA urged the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to take urgent steps to prevent recurring attacks on journalists nationwide through effective training, clear operational directives, and strict disciplinary measures whenever violations occur.
MRA further appealed to the Federal Government to demonstrate its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and media freedom by ensuring that security agencies respect journalists’ rights, particularly during public events where the presence of the media is essential for public accountability.
In a related development, the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has called on President Bola Tinubu and the inspector general of police to immediately launch an investigation into what it called a “disturbing pattern” of hostility toward journalists in Niger State under Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
In a statement jointly signed by its Deputy President, Fidelis Mbah, and the Legal Adviser, Tobi Soniyi, the latest incident involved the assault on an NTA reporter, Musa Mikail, who was allegedly attacked and forced out of a Ramadan Iftar event in Bida on the orders of the governor’s Chief Security Officer, Shehu Abdullahi Maikano.
“Some of Governor Bago’s actions, and those of some officers working under him have infringed on press freedom, citing the recent assault on Musa Mikail, a senior reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) at a public event as the latest of such acts.
“Mikail, who was covering a Ramadan Iftar at the palace of the Etsu Nupe in Bida, Niger State on March 13, 2026, was reportedly assaulted and forced out of the venue by some private guards on the instruction of Shehu Abdullahi Maikano, the chief security officer to Governor Bago. According to the NTA staff, he was standing with his cameraman when the Governor’s CSO approached and asked them to move. “I explained that we were not obstructing anyone and we are carrying out our professional duties. Despite this, he pushed me, and other security operatives attacked me and forced me out of the event,” the statement read.
IPI Nigeria linked the incident to a broader pattern of alleged intimidation, harassment and suppression of journalists in the state, citing previous cases including arrests, interrogations, and shutdown of a radio station.
“The latest assault on the NTA reporter represents a disturbing trend of blatant acts of violation of press freedom and hostilities toward journalists by Governor Bago and some officials under his administration. It recalled that last month, the Niger State police command summoned and detained a reporter of Prestige FM, Minna, Ahmed Isah Sakpe, over allegations that he defamed a protocol officer attached to Governor Bago. In November last year, the Niger State Governor arbitrarily ordered the closure of Badeggi FM Radio, over broadcasts purported to have incited the public against his government.
“In May 2025, a freelance journalist, Ibrahim Ndamitso, who had at a public event asked Governor Bago a question about a kidnapping incident that occurred on the Kontagora-Minna road in October, 2024, was accused by the governor of working with bandits, and thereby handed over to the police for profiling.”
The group also said in December 2024, another journalist, Yakubu Mustapha Bina, was invited and interrogated by the State Security Service (SSS) in Niger State after filing a report stating that Governor Bago’s entourage missed its way during a rural tour of the North-West Senatorial District of the state on December 1, 2024.
The IPI further stated that in November 2023, a correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) in Niger State, Mustapha Batsari, was assaulted and threatened by the state Commissioner of Homeland Security, Bello Abdullahi, a major general, right inside the Government House in Minna.
“The persistent attempts to suppress freedom of expression and silence journalists by Governor Bago and some officials of his administration led to the Governor’s inclusion in the IPI Nigeria’s Book of Infamy which was launched on December 2, 2025, for press freedom violations, intimidation of journalists, and attempts to stifle free speech. IPI Nigeria has called on the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to immediately launch an investigation into the incident, and sanction Governor Bago’s CSO who ordered the assault on the journalist,” the group urged.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.