The Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Monday that no fewer than 14 journalists and media professionals were detained, harassed, or attacked while covering the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections, including Haruna Salisu, the owner of the private news website WikkiTimes, who is still being held by police without being charged.
According to WikkiTimes editor Yakubu Mohammed, who talked to CPJ and a regional coalition of press freedom groups, police detained Salisu on February 25 in Duguri town, in the southeast of Bauchi state, immediately after he and other reporters visited with the state governor.
Mohammed visited Salisu after he was transferred to police headquarters in Bauchi, the state capital, and heard police claim they had taken him into custody to protect him after the governor’s supporters attacked him as he spoke to local protestors. However, they later refused to let him go, according to Mohammed.
According to PRNigeria, authorities had “received an official complaint that the journalist was provoking the electorate.” As of Monday night, Salisu was still being held.
According to CPJ interviews, our correspondent claims that throughout the elections, unidentified individuals, political parties, or security personnel intimidated or physically assaulted at least 13 other media professionals.
The coordinator of CPJ’s Africa programme in New York, Angela Quintal, urged Nigerian authorities to quickly and unconditionally release journalist Haruna Salisu and hold accountable anybody who was involved in the harassment and assault of at least 13 other journalists and media professionals. “Press freedom is a key element of Nigeria’s democracy, and the media should be permitted to cover national elections without worrying about consequences,” She remarked.
On February 25, CPJ conducted interviews with the reporters who covered each of the following events:
Dayo Aiyetan, the executive director of a privately held nonprofit organisation called the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, was attacked by a group of men after he recorded them interfering with voting at a polling place in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. They tore his clothes, beat him, stole his phone, and stole his possessions.
Aiyetan claimed that a man had attempted to knife him, and he had informed the police about the incident. A few of his possessions, including his phone with its content wiped, were returned.
One of the crew members informed CPJ that youths in Ibadan, Oyo state, attacked a car from the government-owned News Agency of Nigeria while it was covering the elections.
When the car was attacked with sticks and dents, camera operator Yinka Bode-Are, a reporter, and the driver were inside.
Adesola Ikulajolu, a reporter for the non-profit Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, was questioned by security personnel about his reporting while travelling between polling stations in Lagos, and his phone had image folders removed.
Ikulajolu claimed that based on their gear and all-black attire, he thought they were representatives of the Department of State Services. Black clothing did not indicate a DSS affiliation, according to Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, who also told CPJ he was unaware of the incident.
A member of one of Nigeria’s major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, attacked and knocked out Bolanle Olabimtan, a reporter for TheCable, in Agbor town, Delta state, while another took her phone and deleted all of the content before handing it back.
A reporter for The Punch Newspaper named Gbenga Oloniniran was also detained and threatened with shooting by police in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. After driving Oloniniran across town and deleting images from his phone, they let him go. advocacy groups for local media denounced the incident.
Oloniniran told CPJ that in an another incident, police officers took removed pictures from his phone that he had taken of them at a polling place. Calls to Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for the Rivers state police, were unanswered, according to CPJ’s.
Ajayi Adebola, a reporter for Peoples Gazette, was stopped by a gang of guys at a voting location in Lagos, and they removed data from her phone.
According to her statement to CPJ, several people were sporting jackets bearing the logo of the All Progressives Congress, another significant party. APC spokesman Felix Morka told CPJ that the party will look into the matter and did not want any of its members to attack journalists.
In three separate incidents, PDP supporters intimidated or physically attacked five journalists in the Sagbama council area of Bayelsa state. Akam James, a reporter for the Daily Post newspaper, was slapped and assaulted; Princewill Sede and Jeany Metta, the publisher and managing editor of Upfront News magazine, were punched in the face and had their camera smashed; and Joe Kunde and Miebi Bina, a reporter and camera operator for TVC, were driven from the
A representative for the Bauchi police, Ahmed Wakil, was contacted by CPJ to inquire about Salisu’s detention, and the inquiries were sent via a messaging app and tagged as read, but no response was received, according to CPJ. Calls to the governor of Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, and one of his assistants, Muktar Gidado, were unanswered as well.
“CPJ’s calls to the Nigeria Police Force’s spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, went unanswered.” The company took notice.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the spokesperson for the PDP presidential campaign council, told CPJ that information about instances involving their supporters was “falsehood” and asked to check the specifics. But, he did not immediately respond to the information that CPJ sent him.
When called, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba requested a callback but did not pick up.
Days before the election, journalists experienced assaults or were denied access to cover election preparations, according to News Point Nigeria. CPJ had previously highlighted this.
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