A new report released by Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has painted a grim picture of press freedom in Nigeria, revealing that state security agencies — the very institutions meant to protect citizens — have become the chief violators of journalists’ rights, with the Nigeria Police Force emerging as the worst offender.
Titled “When Protectors Become Predators: The State Against Freedom of Expression in Nigeria,” the 129-page report exposes a deeply troubling pattern of attacks, intimidation, and harassment of journalists and media workers by government forces and officials.
Issued in commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the report details how law enforcement and intelligence agencies have become instruments of repression, targeting those who report truth and hold power accountable.
According to MRA, government officials were responsible for nearly 74 percent of all attacks on journalists recorded between January 1 and October 31, 2025, while the Nigeria Police Force accounted for 45 percent of these violations — making it the leading perpetrator of media rights abuses.
Other offenders named include operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military, paramilitary units, and elected or appointed political office holders at both federal and state levels.
The report documented at least 69 separate incidents of violations during the review period, including arbitrary arrests and detention, physical assaults, death threats, abductions, raids on media offices, and various forms of intimidation against journalists performing their lawful duties.
“The report shows that journalists in Nigeria are increasingly under siege — not just from criminals and insurgents, but principally from the very state institutions charged with protecting them,” said Mr. Ayode Longe, MRA’s Deputy Executive Director.
He added that this situation represents “a direct contradiction of the government’s constitutional and international legal duty to guarantee the safety of media practitioners and uphold the public’s right to be informed,” warning that it signifies “a fundamental breakdown of law enforcement accountability and a direct assault on democracy and the rule of law.”
MRA said the culture of impunity for crimes against journalists has eroded public trust in government and emboldened perpetrators, who often face no consequences for their actions. The report warned that such unchecked violations have created a climate of fear and self-censorship, undermining Nigeria’s democratic institutions and weakening press freedom.
Reiterating that the safety of journalists is both a legal and moral obligation of the government, MRA cited provisions in the Nigerian Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as clear guarantees of free expression and media independence.
The organization called on the Federal Government to create mechanisms to hold public officials accountable for assaults on journalists and to reform and retrain security and intelligence agencies to respect human rights and uphold press freedom.
MRA also proposed the establishment of a national multi-stakeholder protection mechanism for journalists, alongside urgent steps to end the misuse of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and other repressive laws against media practitioners.
It further urged the National Assembly to pass legislation specifically criminalizing attacks on journalists, and called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to develop systems to monitor and prevent the misuse of court processes to harass journalists.
The full report is available for download at: https://bit.ly/4oKzxoN.
For further inquiries, MRA advised contacting:
Mr. Idowu Adewale, Communications Officer, Media Rights Agenda, Lagos.
Email: [email protected].
