International and Nigerian press freedom organisations have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to proactively protect journalists against attacks and harassment.
Their call came after Vice President Kashim Shettima claimed that no reporters have faced harassment in Nigeria since Mr Tinubu took office in 2023.
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Debunking Mr Shettima’s claim, the groups said, “This mischaracterisation conveys a grave indifference to the numerous and well-documented attacks on the press while you have been president, including violent abuses and arrests by Nigerian security forces.”
The groups urged President Bola Tinubu to hold perpetrators of attacks on journalists accountable.
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They made the call in an open letter addressed to President Tinubu on Wednesday.
The letter was signed by six media and press freedom advocacy organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA).
The letter, sent via email, also copied Vice President Kashim Shettima and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
It expressed concern over remarks by Mr Shettima on 27 February, which suggested that no journalists had been harassed since Mr Tinubu assumed office.
The groups said the claim misrepresented well-documented cases of harassment, assault, unlawful detention, and threats against Nigerian journalists.
“Vice President Shettima referred to your administration as ‘a friend of the media.’ It is time to match those words with action by holding those responsible for attacks to account,” the letter stated.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that On 2 December 2025, Vice‑President Kashim Shettima told journalists at the International Press Institute Nigeria’s conference in Abuja that Nigeria’s media remain the strongest bulwark against authoritarianism, insisting no government in the country’s history had succeeded in suppressing the press.
He praised journalists for defending democracy and said the administration was committed to safeguarding their freedom of expression.
Then, in a February statement while receiving a delegation from the Nigeria Press Council at the Presidential Villa, Mr Shettima described Mr Tinubu as “a friend of the media” and a firm believer in press independence.
He further noted that the government had sustained an environment in which journalists could operate without harassment over the past three years.
Journalists’ harassment under Tinubu’s administration
The press freedom organisations, in their letter, countered the vice president’s claim.
They noted that since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, journalists have faced repeated harassment while covering events across Nigeria since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
They noted that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) “has documented Nigerian authorities detaining journalists without warning and mistreating them in custody.”
They cited cases of reporters detained without warning and mistreated in custody.
According to the groups, during the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in August 2024, at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or civilians, with masked personnel reportedly firing bullets and tear gas at 18 working journalists.
The letter also referenced the International Press Centre’s documentation of 65 attacks in 2024, including physical assaults, threats, intimidation, and unlawful detentions.
It said that the Media Rights Agenda’s 2025 report tracked 86 such incidents, while the International Press Institute Nigeria observed a persistent pattern of impunity for perpetrators of violence against journalists.
The letter noted that the CJID stated in the letter that it had verified at least 231 attacks on the press since Tinubu took office and had written to the presidency urging urgent intervention.
The groups further recalled that since 1992, at least 23 journalists were killed in Nigeria, including 13 linked directly to their reporting.
They cited the case of Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi, who was shot while reporting in Ikeja, Lagos State, in 2020 and later found dead in a mortuary, noting that his body has yet to be returned to his family despite repeated requests.
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“These instances underscore the urgent need for government action to protect journalists and safeguard press freedom, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections,” the organisations wrote.
They noted that attacks on the press tend to spike during periods of political tension and called on President Tinubu to hold those responsible for harassment accountable.
The letter warned that failure to act could endanger both journalists and democratic processes.
It stressed that the Vice President’s claim that the administration is “a friend of the media” must be matched with concrete actions, including returning the body of Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi to his family and ensuring a safe environment for reporters before, during, and after the elections.
