Continuous Arrests Of Journalists As Threat To Investigative Journalism

Stakeholders have condemned the continuous arrests of journalists, with the allegation of cyberstalking, among others.

In recent times, over five journalists have been arrested and given stringent conditions as bail conditions.

This is even as Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi has said all those arrested recently are those indicted in some serious criminal issues.

An anti-corruption group, the Network Against Corruption And Trafficking (NACAT), has come out to condemned what it described as ” the continued harassment and arrest of journalists in the process of doing their work”, stating that such actions, will repress investigative journalism.

NACAT’s operations manager, Stanley Ugagbe, while speaking with LEADERSHIP, said in the past one year, five high profile journalists have been arrested so far.

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The group also condemned the difficult bail conditions always set for the release of journalists, wondering how the police are demanding two Level 16 civil servants who own landed property worth at least N500 million in Abuja as sureties for IsaayBristol’s bail.

According to him, “For the records, section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria guarantees freedom of expression and the press. Additionally, Section 22 places a responsibility on the press to hold the government and the people accountable at all times. These constitutional safeguards are vital to the health of our democracy, and any attempt to stifle the press is an affront to the rule of law.

More so, Nigeria is a signatory to various international treaties and conventions that recognize the right of the press as fundamental to the existence of democracy.

“Disturbing records in the public domain have it that: Daniel Ojukwu, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), went missing on May 1and was later found to be detained on allegations of violating the Cybercrimes Act. His ‘crime’ was uncovering the truth about a fraudulent government transaction.

“Isaac Bristol (PIDOM), a microblogger known for his investigative work, was abducted from his hotel room in Port Harcourt by 15 plainclothes policemen on August 5 and subjected to inhuman treatment. Isaac told representatives of this team that the police abducted and kept him in solitary confinement for at least six days in an anti-kidnapping unit before transferring him to a different facility. He later ended up in the FCID’s custody. Presently, the police are demanding two Level 16 civil servants who own landed property worth at least N500 million in Abuja as sureties for Bristol’s bail.

“Fisayo Soyombo, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of FIJ, was detained for eight hours by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja on August 14. He has since been required to report bi-weekly, a clear attempt to intimidate him and curtail his journalistic activities.”