WikkiTimes, Foundation Launch Falana Legal Defenders’ Fellowship

WikkiTimes, in partnership with the WikkiTimes Media Foundation, has launched the WikkiTimes Femi Falana Legal Defenders Fellowship, a year-long pilot programme aimed at strengthening legal defence for journalists and civic actors facing increasing legal intimidation in Nigeria.

In a press release issued yesterday, Nana Mohammed, operations manager of WikkiTimes, said Nigeria remained one of the most dangerous and challenging environments for media professionals in West Africa.

She cited persistent surveillance, arbitrary arrests, physical attacks, and a culture of impunity surrounding crimes against journalists.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 25 journalists were killed with confirmed motives in Nigeria in 2025, while 34 were imprisoned and about 20 were held hostage, with many others detained globally.

Similarly, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) reported through its Press Attack Tracker that 72 journalists were attacked in Nigeria in 2025.

Reports by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and CPJ further indicated that 2025 was a particularly deadly year for journalists worldwide, with Nigeria journalists continuing to face serious threats including violence, harassment, and entrenched impunity despite discussions around new legal protections.

At the same time, Nigeria produces thousands of young lawyers annually, many eager to serve the public interest but lacking practical training and mentorship in media law, digital rights, and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). This gap, Mohammed noted, leaves journalists vulnerable while limiting meaningful pathways for young lawyers into public-interest legal practice.

She said the Femi Falana WikkiTimes Legal Defenders Fellowship was created to bridge this gap.

The fellowship according to her will train, mentor, and place 25 early-career Nigerian lawyers in law firms, chambers, and legal aid organisations, where they will support journalists and civic actors facing legal threats.

“Through intensive training, supervised practice, and the development of shared legal defence tools, the programme aims to strengthen Nigeria’s media defence ecosystem from within the legal profession,” the statement said.

The statement added that the fellowship is named after Femi Falana, SAN, in recognition of his decades-long commitment to public-interest litigation, human rights advocacy, and the defence of press freedom in Nigeria.

According to Haruna Mohammed Salisu, founder of the fellowship, naming the programme after Falana reflects his consistent courage in challenging the misuse of the law to silence dissent, as well as his role in mentoring generations of rights-focused lawyers.

Haruna said “The fellowship draws inspiration from this legacy while operating independently and in line with professional and ethical standards. To work with journalists and media organisations in the country where journalists and public-interest actors are increasingly targeted with defamation suits, cybercrime charges, and other legal actions intended not to secure justice but to exhaust resources, delay investigations, and discourage accountability reporting.

“These practices, often described as ‘the process as punishment’ pose serious threats to press freedom and civic accountability, particularly for independent and regional newsrooms with limited access to specialised legal support,” he added.

The programme will run for an initial 12-month pilot phase, during which fellows will receive specialised training in media law, constitutional rights, digital rights, and the application of the Cybercrimes Act to journalism.

Fellows will also contribute to developing a shared legal defence repository and a practical SLAPP Defence Cheat Sheet for Nigerian lawyers. These resources will remain publicly accessible beyond the fellowship period.

In the coming days, WikkiTimes will officially issue a call for applications, inviting qualified early-career lawyers committed to defending media freedom and civic accountability to apply.

“The Femi Falana WikkiTimes Legal Defenders Fellowship represents a strategic investment in people, institutions, and shared knowledge, ensuring journalists are not silenced by legal intimidation and that the law continues to serve justice rather than suppression,” the statement added.