MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA), on Friday, May 17, condemned the continued harassment and intimidation of journalists and media organisations by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC).
In a statement signed by its communications officer, Idowu Adewale, the organisation called on President Bola Tinubu to take urgent measures to safeguard media freedom.
It also appealed to the President to end the abuse of the Cybercrimes Act by police, political figures and rich individuals to harass journalists carrying out their constitutional duties.
it urged President Tinubu to address the abuse, which it said had tarnished his record within just one year in office.
Citing a police invitation to Nurudeen Yahaya Akewushola, a reporter with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), and the organisation’s “managing directors” suspectedly over an investigation into the case of corruption involving two of the nation’s former IGPs, the MRA said the police’s decision to shield their former heads accused of corruption from scrutiny constituted “an odious abuse of power.”
“MRA notes with alarm the troubling pattern of harassment and intimidation faced by journalists in Nigeria, particularly through the misuse of the Cybercrimes Act. We are particularly disturbed by the upsurge in this deplorable police practice under the administration of President Tinubu, a man who owns multiple media organisations and built his political career on a history of democratic struggle.”
It added that it was also concerned, based on previous police patterns, that the police intended to detain Akewushola for his investigative reporting.
The MRA said the intent was despite the alleged ‘cyberstalking’ being abolished under the amended Cybercrimes Act, making prosecution impossible.
It highlighted the lack of fairness in the police’s actions, noting their failure to provide Akewushola and The ICIR with a copy of the petition or details of the allegations while pretending to offer the journalist and his managers a chance to defend themselves.
The organisation further called on Tinubu to call the police to order, adding that “a free and independent press is essential to the effective functioning of any democratic system of government.”
In its Thursday, May 16 report, The ICIR expressed concerns over the invitation letter to Akewushola and its managers by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja over an allegation of cyberstalking and defamation.
The letter, dated April 16, 2024, required the journalist to report to the Centre on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, three weeks before the letter was delivered to The ICIR by the Police on Wednesday, May 15.
The invitation is most likely about an investigation done by Akewushola and published by The ICIR which linked two past Inspectors-General of Police (IGPs) to corruption.
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