Many Nigerian universities are censoring free speech, clamping down on student journalists

Lazeez Bello*, a student journalist at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, UDUS, never imagined that reporting about students’ struggles at the university clinic would spark a chain of reaction.

But that is exactly what happened after he published an opinion article calling attention to a troubling situation on campus: students diagnosed at the university clinic are hardly provided medication.

“I wrote the piece because I had seen it happen to several students, including myself. You go there sick, they diagnose you but they don’t give you any drugs,” Mr Bello told this reporter.

So he wrote an article to bring the management’s attention to the struggles students face. But not long after the article was published, Mr Bello’s editor, Abdullahi Tijjani, informed him that the school’s Dean of Student Affairs, Umar Aliyu, had summoned him.

Across Nigerian campuses, student journalists are increasingly facing threats, harassment, and censorship for publishing stories that hold their college authorities to account.

Many are summoned, intimidated, or punished under the pretext of protecting the institution’s image.

Mr Bello was interrogated for writing a “defamatory” article about the university, an accusation that left him in shock and traumatised for days.

This growing culture of fear is not only constraining campus journalism in the Nigerian tertiary institutions but also undermining the role of universities as spaces for critical thinking, accountability, and freedom of expression, experts have said.

The growth of campus censorship

Indeed the fear instilled in Mr Bello by authorities at UDUS is not an isolated case.

The incident represents a growing trend of intimidation targeting campus journalists across Nigerian tertiary institutions.

In 2023, Chisom Oguadimma*, a Mass Communication student from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), recalled how she and her colleagues faced threats for investigating the poor condition of student hostels — particularly Kurma and Akintola hostels.

The story, which was later pulled down based on the alleged directive of the school management, was based on interviews with students who complained about the unhygienic conditions of the toilets and deteriorating living situations on campus.

“We followed proper journalistic principles. We collected visual evidence, interviewed affected students, and verified the facts obtained from various sources. But when it was published, the university authorities pressured our department to identify who wrote the article. We were asked to pull it down, or risk suspension,” she said.

According to her, the Vice Chancellor reportedly contacted the Dean of the Faculty, who contacted lecturers to identify the authors.

Though the story was not false or inaccurate, the school administration deemed it “defamatory,” a label increasingly used to suppress inconvenient truths rather than to address them.

“It affected my interest in reporting stories that held the school accountable,” Ms Oguadimma said.

“Now I mostly cover regular events, since anything else could be seen as damaging to the image of the school.”

The Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), an umbrella body for campus journalism which operates in several colleges nationwide, has documented multiple incidents involving student reporters who were summoned, intimidated, and asked to delete published articles that exposed the neglect, wrongdoings or abuse of power on campus.

Though there is no reliable data on student journalists’ harassment or censorship in Nigeria, journalists in the country generally face challenges that threaten their freedom.

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) reported that 39 journalists were harassed across the country by state and non-state actors in 2023

Internationally, Nigeria fares poorly in press freedom assessments. In the 2024 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the country ranks 113rd out of 180 nations, making it one of the most dangerous places for journalists in West Africa.

While international frameworks such as Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) affirm the right to free expression, many student reporters in Nigeria are forced into self-censorship, knowing that a single article could jeopardise their education or safety.

Vulnerable to Assault, Harassment by Security Operatives

Despite the constitutional guarantees of press freedom, student journalists in Nigeria face harassment, censorship, and threats for publishing factual, but critical reports about campus affairs.

Olanshile Ogunrinu, president of the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), University of Ibadan (UI), expressed urgent concern over the shrinking space for free expression within Nigerian universities.

He recounted multiple instances of harassment since his first year at the university, particularly following investigative stories that exposed wrongdoings.

One such report, which revealed that the Students’ Representative Council approved one million naira in airtime allowances for themselves from the Student Union account, triggered backlash from student leaders. Mr Ogunrinu said he faced threats and intimidation from the student union leaders until the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Adekeye Abiona, intervened.

In another case, Mr Ogunrinu’s colleague, Akanni Oluwasegun, a third-year student of Communication and Language Arts, was allegedly assaulted by campus security personnel for filming an altercation between a student leader and the university’s security agents. His phone was also confiscated.

Similarly, a final-year law student at the university, who requested anonymity for fear of further sanctions, was reportedly punished in 2023 for reporting on a mock trial in which a judge delivered a questionable verdict. The student said the judge petitioned the Faculty Dean, who allegedly threatened to withhold the Law School registration of all press members involved. The student press board was later disbanded, despite repeated pleas to the faculty leadership.

“Though we ensured our reports were based on verified facts, the dean had made up her mind to shoot down our report,” the student said.

This is a clear violation of Section 39 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution that guarantees freedom of expression and the press, including that of student journalists.

At UDUS, Shereefdeen Ahmad, a final-year law student and president of the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ) acknowledged the challenges faced by student journalists in his university, but he stressed that his association is navigating the challenge by sticking to ethical reporting that does not ruffled the feather.

“We ensure that our reporters adhere strictly to journalism ethical standards.”

However, the university’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Mr Aliyu, denied any suppression of student press freedom.

“There is no infringement on their right to freedom of expression. We encourage factual and evidence-based reports, but we frown at fictitious, malicious, or baseless stories intended to damage the institution’s image,” he said.

The contrasting accounts highlight the growing tension between student journalists and university authorities — a conflict that continues to test the boundaries of press freedom in Nigeria’s academic institutions.

Experts proffers solution

Lekan Otufodunrin, executive director of the Media Career Development Network, raised concerns over increasing media censorship within Nigerian campuses.

He noted that student journalists often face harsh reprisals for their reporting, including being summoned before disciplinary panels, penalised, suspended, or even expelled when their work is seen as damaging to the institution’s image.

According to him, the treatment of campus journalists reflects a broader intolerance for press freedom in academic institutions, with some authorities resorting to involving security agencies to intimidate or apprehend reporters whose stories are deemed unfavourable. Freedom of expression is a right guaranteed by the constitution, he said.

He, however, advised student journalists to familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations that operate within their institutions in order to avoid sanctions.

“They should understand what they are entitled to as students and the existing limitations, because a campus journalist is not exactly the same as a journalist in the open media space.”

Mr Otufodunrin further encouraged campus journalists to build relationships with wider networks of professional journalists because such networks can offer them support and protection, especially when issues escalate.

Abdulrahman Yusuf, a human rights lawyer and former campus journalist, condemned the growing trend of censorship against student reporters in Nigerian universities, describing it as a violation of fundamental human rights.

Drawing from his experience as Editor-in-Chief at the Ondo State College of Education and later the University of Ilorin, Mr Yusuf said campus journalism plays a vital role in promoting accountability and moral values within academic communities – often at the risk of confrontation with lecturers and administrators.

He criticised universities that sanction student journalists for publishing critical but evidence-based reports, stating that such actions breach the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

“Disciplining students for factual reporting that does not contravene institutional codes is legally indefensible,” Mr Yusuf argued.

He further stated that efforts to silence campus journalists under the guise of protecting institutional reputation have no legal standing.

“Education without accountability is incomplete,” he said, adding that responsible student journalism complements the university’s goal of developing morally upright and intellectually courageous individuals.

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Mr Yusuf also recounted personal instances of intimidation and academic victimisation, warning that institutional pushback is a real threat.

Nonetheless, he urged student journalists to remain resolute, know their rights, and document any suppression for potential legal redress.

“Campus journalism must remain fearless and committed to truth,” he said.

*Asterisk names are pseudonyms we have used to protect identities as requested

This report is produced with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) as part of a project documenting issues focused on press freedom in Nigeria.