By Demi Adeniyi
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today released its 2025 Annual Report on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, in which it documented a total of 86 incidents of attacks against journalists, media houses, and citizens during the year and painted a disturbing picture of a deteriorating environment for freedom of expression in the country, characterized by a lack of accountability for violators of the right and perpetrators of attacks against journalists.
Titled “The Reign of Impunity,” the 147-page report captured 86 separate incidents of violations of media freedom and freedom of expression as well as attacks against journalists and media organizations across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja with no single case resulting in a successful investigation or prosecution of the perpetrators of the attacks even where their actions constituted criminal offences.
A key finding contained in the report is the fact that arrests and detentions were the primary tools for the suppression of media freedom and freedom of expression, being the most common form of attack, with 38 documented cases, accounting for over 44 percent of all incidents reported.
The report also documented widespread physical violence with 21 recorded cases of assault and battery, accounting for over 24 percent of all incidents. Assault and battery ranked as the second highest form of attack documented in the report.
The report documented two killings, one of a journalist who was killed in the line of duty and the other of a woman who was murdered for alleged blasphemy. Alongside these deadly forms of assault on freedom of expression were one case of kidnapping and one instance of a media outlet that was shut down.
In terms of perpetrators of attacks against journalists and violations of other freedom of expression rights, the Nigeria Police Force was identified in the report as the worst offender and was responsible for 41 incidents, nearly 48 percent of all the attacks. The Department of State Services (DSS) followed as the second worst perpetrator, involved in approximately 7 percent of the documented cases with the result that the two security and law enforcement agencies accounted for over 50 percent of all violations.
Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, recorded the highest number of attacks, with 16 and 14 incidents respectively.
The report highlighted emerging trends and patterns, including the continued “weaponization” of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015, as amended, to target journalists and critics of government or government officials, as well as the frequent deployment of digital surveillance tools and spyware to monitor and track down journalists.
It was also noted in the report that in addition to failing to investigate incidents of crimes against journalists, law enforcement and security agencies frequently turned a blind eye to attacks by non-state actors even while they were present. They also actively participated in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests and demonstrations, with journalists frequented targeted while covering such incidents.
In a preface to the report, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, noted that although the media landscape continued to evolve rapidly during the year, shaped largely by developments in digital technologies, the fundamental challenges confronting journalists and media sector remained deeply entrenched.
He described the challenges as political, legal, economic and social, characterized by attacks on journalists, misuse of laws and regulatory powers, shrinking civic space, an extremely difficult economic environment, and growing threats in the digital environment, which once again tested the resilience of Nigeria’s media outlets.
Mr. Ojo stressed that the persistent “culture of impunity remains one of the gravest threats to media freedom in Nigeria, emboldening perpetrators and sometimes deepening fear and self-censorship within the media community.”
MRA therefore urged the Federal Government and relevant authorities to ensure that law enforcement agencies promptly and transparently investigate all attacks against journalists and citizens and make the outcomes of such investigations public.
It called on the Government to issue directives to security agencies with the clear prohibition of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and other forms of attacks against journalists for carrying out their professional duties or against individual citizens for peacefully expressing themselves, especially online.
MRA recommended that in compliance with the UN Plan of Action on the safety of journalists, the Federal Government should establish a national mechanism or policy framework dedicated to the safety and protection of journalists, in accordance with international norms and standards, including providing for early warning systems and rapid response protocols.
