Tinubu Administration Accused of 141 Attacks on Journalists in Two Years – Media Rights Agenda Sounds Alarm

A damning new report by Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of overseeing a sustained assault on press freedom in Nigeria, documenting 141 violations against journalists, media workers, and citizens within a two-year span.

The report, titled “The Onslaught Intensifies: A Mid-Term Assessment of Media Freedom Under the Tinubu Administration,” paints a grim picture of a growing crackdown on civic expression, largely driven by the misuse of the Cybercrime Act by security agencies.

According to the report, 61 of the cases (43%) were carried out by the Nigerian police, while the Department of State Services (DSS) was responsible for seven incidents. The remaining cases involved other state actors and agencies.

“Nigeria is witnessing growing threats to media freedom through the abuse of laws like the Cybercrime Act, politically motivated arrests, censorship, and intimidation,” said MRA Executive Director Edetaen Ojo.

A key focus of the report was the abuse of Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, which has been widely used to arrest and prosecute journalists and online critics, often for harmless social media posts. MRA cited the arrests of journalists including Emmanuel Uti, Destiny Ekhorutomuen, and several members of Informant247 in Kwara State.

The report also notes that even peaceful protesters, including minors, have been charged with treason, a capital offense, simply for expressing dissent raising concerns over the administration’s commitment to democratic principles.