A report by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has found an alarming escalation of attacks on media freedom and civic expression, particularly through the misuse of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act by law enforcement agencies to silence or punish journalists and critics of the government.
The report, which was based on data collected during the Tinubu administration’s first two years in office, was released on Monday.
According to the report, titled “The Onslaught Intensifies: A Mid-term Assessment Report on Media Freedom under the Tinubu Administration,” between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2025, MRA documented 141 incidents of attacks on journalists, media workers, and ordinary citizens for the peaceful expression of their views on a variety of issue, including governance, economic hardship, the security situation in the country, among others.
In a statement, MRA said of these incidents, 61 cases (43.26 percent) were perpetrated by operatives of the Nigeria Police, while the Department of State Services (DSS) was responsible for seven cases (4.96 percent) with the two agencies collectively accounting for nearly half of all documented violations of media rights and freedom of expression across the country over the last two years.
It argued that the Tinubu administration bears legal responsibility for all of these incidents, in accordance with Principle 20(5) of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa.
It said the principle holds that States are “liable for the conduct of law enforcement, security, intelligence, military and other personnel which threatens, undermines or violates the safety of journalists and other media practitioners.”
In a preface to the report, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, said: “We are seeing threats to media freedom in Nigeria through the continued implementation of repressive laws, such as the Cybercrime Act which is frequently used to target, silence or punish journalists; the enforcement of politically motivated regulatory sanctions; arrests and detention or other forms of attacks on journalists; surveillance or intimidation of media practitioners; and censorship of government-controlled broadcasters, among others threats and attacks.”
Ojo described the report as a timely intervention in a political climate where democratic gains continue to face increasing threats from censorship, regulatory overreach, violence against journalists, and the misuse of digital surveillance technologies.
He explained that its objective “is not merely to criticise but to document, analyse, and illuminate the extent to which the current administration has either advanced or undermined the freedom of expression landscape in Nigeria.”
MRA said among the most disturbing findings in the report was the continued abuse of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) of 2015, as amended, particularly its controversial Section 24, which law enforcement agencies have exploited to arrest, detain, and prosecute journalists and social media users over critical or dissenting expressions online.
The organisation recorded many cases of such misuse, including the arrests of Mr. Emmanuel Uti, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ); Mr. Destiny Ekhorutomuen, a blogger in Edo State; four editors and reporters from Informant247 in Kwara State; Mr. Dele Farotimi, a lawyer and human rights advocate; and several others who faced excessive bail conditions or prolonged detention.
According to MRA, the frequent misuse of the Cybercrime Act had become so outrageous that it resulted in an unprecedented move by the Heads of the Missions of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, and Finland in Nigeria, who issued a stern reprimand in a joint statement issued in June 2025 criticising the Nigerian government’s abuse of the Act and calling for urgent reform in the law and its implementation.
The report noted that the Tinubu administration has treated internationally and constitutionally protected rights such as peaceful protests and dissent as crimes, going so far as to charge peaceful protesters, including minors, with treason, an offence which carries the death penalty, in complete disregard of the fact that dissent and criticisms of government are not just permissible features of democracy but are, in fact, regarded as essential for its survival, vitality, and legitimacy.
It stated that many journalists covering such peaceful protests have been beaten or brutalised, arrested and detained for varying durations, and have had their equipment seized or damaged, with no single perpetrator of any of these attacks being held accountable.
In its statement announcing the launch of the report, MRA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, said: “It is deeply ironic and troubling that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, himself a former pro-democracy activist and owner of multiple media outlets across print, radio and television, now presides over an administration increasingly defined by the repression of the very freedoms he once championed.”
MRA called on all stakeholders, including the media community, civil society, the judiciary, the National Assembly, and the international community, to put relentless pressure on the government to undertake meaningful reforms that uphold media freedom and the broader right to freedom of expression and democratic values in Nigeria.
‘Govt supporting press freedom’
But responding to the report, Rabiu Ibrahim, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, insisted that President Tinubu is committed to press freedom in Nigeria.
In a statement titled ‘Media Rights Agenda: A Response to Midterm Assessment’. he said the Tinubu administration “intrinsically supports press freedom and disavows civic repression.”
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has consistently advocated the need for shared responsibility in which the press reports responsibly and avoiding fake news and misinformation.
The statement added that “The reputation of the President is intact as a longstanding friend of the media, and who fought alongside members of the Fourth Estate for the enthronement of democracy and the rule of law.
“The claim by the Media Rights Agenda of a continuing ‘onslaught’ by the government on the media and its operatives does not tally, given the responsiveness of the government in amicably resolving avoidable tiffs between the media and agencies of government at all times.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that in a vibrant society such as ours, issues may occasionally arise, involving media stakeholders and law enforcement agencies. As Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, every time such a scenario has arisen, I have personally taken it upon myself—in line with President Tinubu’s avowed commitment to democracy and all its associated ideals—to ensure that due process prevails and that the fundamental rights of the press are respected.
“The Tinubu administration firmly maintains an open-door and ever-engaging stance with the media; we are proud to work closely with media operators, associations, and guilds, using internal mechanisms such as the Ombudsman, in addressing grey areas.
“There has never been, and there will never be, any attempt by the federal government, to gag the press. We will also continue to engage actively with subnational governments, within the ambit of Nigeria’s federal system, with a view to influencing them to extend this same approach, whenever issues arise that may have the potential to impact media freedom.
“The federal government welcomes the views and perspectives of the media industry on the Cybercrime Act, and wishes to emphasize that there is a multi-stakeholder effort already in progress, bringing together government and non-government stakeholders and partners, to ensure that the Act duly evolves to reflect broad consensus and acceptability to all stakeholders.
“This is also an opportunity to urge the Nigerian press to strive to live up to their shared responsibility—cultivating a space in which media reports are carried out with all sense of responsibility, avoiding fake news and disinformation.
“As Nigeria’s federal government, our commitment to ensuring and expanding the freedom of the Nigerian press should never be in doubt.”
Journalists’ rights should not be trampled upon under civilian rule – NGE
Speaking with Daily Trust, Dr. Sabastine Abu, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), expressed his disappointment that journalists who firmly opposed military rule are still subjected to attacks and violence under a democratic regime.
He emphasized that all right-thinking individuals should condemn these attacks, recognizing that no democracy can thrive anywhere in the world without the activities of journalists.
Dr. Abu stated that the NGE is actively interfacing with security agencies, particularly the DSS, to caution them.
He said, “The guild aims to make them understand that if they believe a journalist has not conveyed facts as they perceive them, the law provides an opportunity for such individuals or agencies to approach the courts.
“We have seen a few instances where some individuals or agencies have done that, and they’ve got justice. For you to go and arrest an individual or a journalist is wrong. So, we’ll continue to interface with these agencies, continue to talk, and we are glad those at the helm of affairs of the police and the DSS seem to have an understanding about how best to treat journalists and members of the press. But the problem we see is within the rank-and-file and those at the middle, who feel that because they have guns in their hands, they will continue to use them in a very uncivilized manner.
“So, I will continue to say anyone who is caught in such a cycle of violence against the media, against the press, or any journalist should be summarily dealt with and face the law. We, as journalists, also continue to encourage our people, as editors, and encourage our reporters to ensure they are objective in their reportage and also very professional.
“As executives of the Guild of Editors, we will continue to do our best. We have been doing it, and we’ll continue to do our best to interface, and that is why we spoke very well at the convention in Enugu.”
Regarding the abuse of the Cybercrime Act, Dr. Abu highlighted the need to amend the law to remove sections being exploited by rogue police officers. He noted that the NGE has recently engaged with ministers to make this a reality.
“Recently, the Guild proposed an amendment to the Cybercrime Act with regard to those obnoxious policies that seem to endanger the lives and journalism practice in the country. We visited the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, where we presented a proposal to him, as well as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to ensure it is treated as a matter of urgency before the National Assembly in the process of reviewing the Constitution.
“We have also interfaced with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, where we also presented a proposal to him, as he is also Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review. We are advocating and continue to interface with the government.
“Just imagine a day that you wake up and the journalists are not there, there is no report, there is no news. Imagine how the country would feel and what you would feel as a citizen of this country. So, it’s important that we see the press as a key and major partner in progress, rather than seeing them as enemies, as people that will continue to be clamped down upon for every report that doesn’t seem to work with you as an individual or with the agency or with the government.”
Also reacting, Yunusa Zachary Ya’u, the convener of Situation Room, a civil society organisation, called on all Nigerians to rise against the deliberate attacks on the free press under the current administration.
While reacting to the latest Media Rights Agenda’s report in a phone interview with Daily Trust on Monday, he warned that any attack on the press was an attack on democracy.
Ya’u said this development would negatively impact the country’s democracy and people’s demands to institute a culture of accountability in public life.
He, however, said Nigerians are resilient and determined people and would continue to insist on accountability irrespective of the attack by police and other state agents.
Speaking about how to counter the government’s attacks, the activist said citizens needed to amplify the voice of journalists.
“We must insist that the government and government officers and agencies must respect the fundamental rights of our citizens, and journalists must realize that the freedom of expression, particularly, is essential to the whole concept of democracy.”
Meanwhile, the MRA media rights advocate, Edetaen Ojo, accused powerful individuals and government officials of using security agencies and the Cybercrime Act to harass and silence journalists in Nigeria.
Speaking on Trust TV on Monday, Ojo said many arrests and detentions of journalists are instigated by overzealous law enforcement agents acting on behalf of “the powers that be.”
He explained that the Cybercrime Act, originally designed to tackle online crime, is now being weaponised against journalists and social media users for publishing critical or dissenting views.
While acknowledging that some journalists act unprofessionally, Ojo insisted there is “absolutely no justification for a law enforcement official to beat up journalists and preventing him or her from carrying out their professional duties.”
Ojo argued that civil remedies such as retractions, apologies, and damages are the proper responses to defamation, not imprisonment.
@Daily Trust