MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA) has raised concern over the growing culture of impunity in Nigeria, describing the menace as one of the biggest threats to media freedom.
The organisation said the failure to punish attacks on journalists and citizens emboldened perpetrators and pushed many journalists into fear and self-censorship.
MRA stated this in its 2025 Annual Report on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, in which it documented a total of 86 incidents of attacks against journalists, media houses, and citizens during the year and painted a disturbing picture of a deteriorating environment for freedom of expression in the country, characterised by a lack of accountability for violators of the right and perpetrators of attacks against journalists.
According to the group, journalists and citizens across the country faced arrests, harassment, intimidation and physical attacks in 2025 for doing their work or expressing their views, with little effort by authorities to properly investigate such cases.
The organisation urged the Federal Government and relevant authorities to ensure that security agencies promptly and transparently investigate all attacks against journalists and citizens and make the outcomes public.
It also called on the government to issue clear directives to security agencies, warn them against harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and other attacks against journalists carrying out their professional duties, as well as against citizens peacefully expressing themselves, especially online.
The MRA further demanded that the Federal Government establish a national policy or framework focused on the safety and protection of journalists, in line with the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, adding that this should include early warning systems and rapid response measures.
“A key finding contained in the report is the fact that arrests and detentions were the primary tools for the suppression of media freedom and freedom of expression, being the most common form of attack, with 38 documented cases, accounting for over 44 percent of all incidents reported.
“The report also documented widespread physical violence with 21 recorded cases of assault and battery, accounting for over 24 per cent of all incidents. Assault and battery ranked as the second highest form of attack documented in the report.
“The report documented two killings, one of a journalist who was killed in the line of duty and the other of a woman who was murdered for alleged blasphemy. Alongside these deadly forms of assault on freedom of expression were one case of kidnapping and one instance of a media outlet that was shut down,” part of the 147-page report said.
The report revealed that police and officers of the State Security Service (SSS), otherwise known as the Department of State Services (SSS) are most notorious for tormenting journalists.
Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, recorded the highest number of attacks, with 16 and 14 incidents respectively.
The report highlighted emerging trends and patterns, including the continued ‘weaponisation’ of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015, as amended, to target journalists and critics of government or government officials, as well as the frequent deployment of digital surveillance tools and spyware to monitor and track down journalists.
The report said in addition to failing to investigate incidents of crimes against journalists, law enforcement and security agencies frequently turned a blind eye to attacks by non-state actors even while they were present. They also actively participated in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests and demonstrations, with journalists frequented targeted while covering such incidents.
Over the past decades, several journalists in Nigeria have been killed in violent incidents linked to their work or unsafe reporting conditions. The ICIR report covering the period between 2019 and 2025 shows that at least 21 journalists were killed, while 94 others were attacked, including cases of kidnapping, assault, mob violence and other threats to their safety.
In 2020, Pelumi Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, was killed while covering the #EndSARS protests in Lagos. He was last seen in police custody, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
In 2019, Channels Television reporter Precious Owolabi was shot and killed by a stray bullet while covering a protest in Abuja.
Earlier, in January 2012, Enenche Akogwu, a Channels TV cameraman, was shot and killed while reporting on a Boko Haram-linked bombing in Kano.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org