ENDING IMPUNITY AGAINST JOURNALISTS Government must take steps to curb violence against journalists The ability of the citizenry to make sound judgment about policy is the fulcrum upon which an informed society leans.
Such Government must take steps to curb violence against journalists The ability of the citizenry to make sound judgment about policy is the fulcrum upon which an informed society leans.
Such would be almost impossible without the news, information and analysis that the media provides.
But the Nigerian environment remains hostile to journalists who risk their lives in pursuit of truth and holding the people in power accountable.
In many instances, especially in some states, reporters are repressed and detained even without any court warrant for their critical reporting. In recent years, security personnel acting on behalf of some powerful individuals in both the public and private sectors have deployed Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, the law’s cyberstalking provision, and Section 27, which deals with conspiracy and related offences, to detain and prosecute journalists. The 2026 ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’, being observed today throughout the world, therefore provides an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the safety and wellbeing of journalists. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
MSEApp News is publishing an original rewrite of this tip for readers, based on reporting associated with THISDAY.