By Ali Elias
The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, has condemned the unlawful detention of Sodeeq Atanda, a senior reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), describing it as yet another assault on press freedom in Nigeria.
Atanda was arrested on Tuesday, September 9, in Ado-Ekiti, by the Ekiti State Police Command after honouring a police invitation linked to a petition filed by Abayomi Fasina, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). Fasina accused the journalist of cyberbullying, blackmail, and criminal defamation.
Despite voluntarily appearing at the police headquarters, Atanda was detained for more than eight hours, stripped of dignity by being forced to walk barefoot within the premises, and subjected to stringent bail conditions.
Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of IPC, decried the action, saying it was a deliberate attempt to muzzle the press.
“The police should desist from being used by elites to assault, arrest, and detain journalists. Instead, they must uphold the tenets of democracy,” he said.
The case in Ekiti is not isolated. The IPC also drew attention to the plight of Abdulaziz Aliyu, a reporter with Waraka Online TV in Kano, who has faced repeated harassment and was detained over a story he published months ago.
MRA raises alarm on systemic attacks
In a related development, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) strongly condemned what it described as a disturbing escalation in state-backed attacks against journalists. The group highlighted the recent arrest of Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa in Kebbi State, allegedly on the orders of Governor Nasir Idris, after he posted a viral video showing the decrepit state of Kangiwa General Hospital.
Rather than addressing the rot in the healthcare system, Governor Idris ordered Hassan’s arrest. Security operatives stormed his home late at night on Sunday, September 7, seized his phones and work equipment, and whisked him away, cutting him off from family and legal representation.
“These repeated incidents highlight the deteriorating environment for media freedom in Nigeria,” said MRA’s Programme Officer, John Gbadamosi. “The culture of impunity, enabled by government, has emboldened perpetrators, both state and non-state actors, who now attack journalists without fear of consequences.”
MRA listed other recent cases, including:
– The beating of Olatunji Adebayo of The Punch by security operatives during a protest in Ibadan.
– The harassment of Anambra-based freelance journalist, Blessing Okonkwo, by police while covering a demolition.
– The detention and assault of Daily Trust photojournalist, Ibrahim Garba, during a political rally in Kano.
– The intimidation of veteran broadcaster, Ms. Ladi Bala, by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, who disrupted her live report.
– The unwarranted summoning of FIJ’s founder, Fisayo Soyombo, by the Ekiti State Police.
A dangerous pattern
MRA and IPC have jointly called on the Federal Government to comply with a subsisting Abuja Federal High Court order (February 2024) mandating it to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of attacks against journalists. They also urged regional and international human rights bodies to intervene urgently to safeguard press freedom in Nigeria.
This rising tide of intimidation is more than isolated abuses; it reflects a dangerous erosion of democratic values. When journalists—who serve as watchdogs of society—are hounded, detained, and criminalised for doing their work, it is not just press freedom under attack, but every citizen’s right to know the truth.
A society where the truth is silenced by fear is one walking blindfolded toward authoritarianism. Nigeria cannot afford that descent. The press must be free, or democracy itself will wither.