The Safer-Media Initiative says it is imperative and incumbent on the government authorities to investigate and convict the perpetrators and sponsors of attacks on journalists.
In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the Executive Director of SMI, Peter Iorter said there is a growing culture of impunity for crimes against Journalists in Nigeria especially over the past years, insisting that it is essential to draw attention to the menaces that journalists across the country struggle with.
The statement read in parts, “The recent case in Zamfara state where media houses were illegally and arbitrary shutdown by the state government is one example of the litany of incidences including where many journalists were brutalized, their cameras, mobile phones and other valuable work tools destroyed. Such trends of attacks have continued unabated. This explains why Nigeria is ranked 129 out of 180 countries listed in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index prepared by the Paris based organization, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
“In 2015 Nigeria ranked 111 out of 180 countries examined, with the 2022 ranking seven years after, the country went into a slump, dropped by 18 places. For us, this current ranking in a year preceding the general election calls for attention as intimidation from politicians and their supporters has been attributed as part of the reason for this sharp drop. We call on security agencies to urgently and clearly show their plan of action on the safety of journalists ahead of the 2023 general elections.
We pay tributes to the tenaciousness, braveness and sacrifices of journalists who in their day-to-day work of information dissemination to uncover injustices, expose corruption and hold authorities to account are being attacked, harassed, unlawfully detained and even killed mysteriously for doing their constitutional duties as members of the fourth estate of the realm.
“While calling on the judiciary to provide and sustain a definite measure of defense against those who breed impunity, there is an urgent need for the National Assembly to not only begin a process to strengthen the laws that promote media freedom, but that also provide protection for journalists.”
As part of activities to commemorate the IDEI, Safer-Media Initiative shared findings of a research on the state of media independence in Nigeria. The SMI research finding shows that at least 4 out of 10 journalists were attacked, harassed or unlawfully detained more than once between 2017 and 2022. According to the report, security agents were responsible for 48% of harassment and attack meted on journalists, while politicians and their supporters were responsible for 23%. Police tops the detention of journalists (28%) followed by the (DSS 12%)
The findings further indicated that 52% of respondents have been pressured by government, corporate agencies or political interest to shape report shared with the public to align with their interest. It added that access to public information through FOI Act is poor as only 32% of respondents have accessed public information using FOI requests. 63.16% out of the number of respondents who have made FOI request say the response was not timely. The report remarked that such development undermines the use of information for public good.
The SMI’s Executive Director explained that the general objective of the research work was to ascertain the state of media independence in Nigeria with the FCT-Abuja as the study sample; to specifically, determine the degree to which journalists are harassed, ascertain the main actors responsible for the attack and harassment meted on journalist, establish the level of government or political powers interference in journalists' work, gauge the implementation and use of the Freedom of Information Act by journalists and establish the percentage of journalists who access public information using the FOI Act.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/Res/68/163 at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI) in recognition of the far-reaching consequences of impunity, especially of crimes against journalists. The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity.