The coalition, in a communiqué, condemned the rise in the alarming trend of media censorship by state authorities in Nigeria and how public officers and influential individuals are increasingly intolerant of critical reporting and fair comments by journalists.
The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom has bemoaned the wanton arrest and detention of journalists in Nigeria.
The coalition, in a communiqué, condemned the rise in the alarming trend of media censorship by state authorities in Nigeria and how public officers and influential individuals are increasingly intolerant of critical reporting and fair comments by journalists.
The organisation also condemned the flagrant disobedience of court orders and the charges of treason, terrorism and cybercrimes against citizens by federal and state governments, which set a dangerous precedent in the misuse of the state criminal justice system to silence free expression.
It noted that from January 2019 till date, it has recorded 71 attacks on the media including arrests, intimidation, detention and killings.
The communiqué reads partly, “In recent times, the Federal Government has charged journalists including Jones Abiri and Omoyele Sowore with treason and terrorism for engaging in social activism and practising journalism. This is unacceptable.
“As if taking a cue from the federal government, the governors of Cross River, Kaduna and Kano states have followed this trend by charging Agba Jalingo, Chidi Odinkalu and Nazir Ahmad respectively with obnoxious and strange offences of terrorism, cybercrime and criminal defamation.”
The coalition also lamented that some sections of the judiciary, as a consequence of its lack of independence, have become willing tools in the hands of state and federal governments by granting judicial approvals that stifle free speech.
The communique added, “They do this through the demand of onerous bail conditions and unconventional trial procedures in criminal charges against journalists and other citizens.”
The coalition demanded that the government must take immediate steps to amend or repeal oppressive provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, particularly Sections 24 and 25, and other laws, which violate international and regional treaties on human rights to which Nigeria is a state party as well as Section 1(3) and 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
It also urged the government not to infringe on the rights of the people in regulating the social media.
Media practitioners were urged to be proactive in the defence and protection of media freedom and engage in advocacy and public enlightenment while also holding regular public hearings into allegations of harassment and attacks on journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, social media users and all media practitioners’ right to freedom of expression.