The reported attacks on journalists and media professionals covering the nationwide protests have been strongly condemned by the International Press Centre (IPC).
Aiming to demand an end to hardship-inducing economic policies, the protests took place across the country on Thursday.
In a statement issued in Jalingo on Thursday, Melody Akinjiyan, IPC’s Press Freedom Officer, informed journalists that the Safety Alert Situation Room had documented various forms of attacks on several journalists and media professionals. These attacks included physical assault, harassment, and denial of access to cover the protests.
According to the statement, some journalists were injured, arrested, or had their equipment destroyed during the incidents.
Among the incidents reported by IPC’s Safety of Journalists Alert Desk, the Lagos State reporter for News Central Television was allegedly obstructed and harassed by police officers and LCC officials who prevented him and other journalists from conducting interviews during a live broadcast.
Journalists such as Ibrahim Isah of TVC News, Yakubu Mohammed of Premium Times, Jide Oyekunle from Daily Independent, and Mary Adeboye of News Central Television were also said to have been attacked during the protests.
Describing the attacks as a concerning recurrence of history, IPC asserted that journalists on legitimate duty should not be assaulted by law enforcement agencies or thugs under any circumstances.
Despite calls by IPC and other media groups for a safe environment for journalists covering the protests, the incidents still occurred, said IPC.
Stating that journalists’ rights to cover and report protests are protected by the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and various regulatory frameworks, IPC emphasized that these rights were not upheld as they should have been.
IPC urged all relevant security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police Force, to promptly investigate the attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.