MRA Report Accuses Government Officials of Majority of Attacks on Journalists

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Media Rights Agenda (MRA) on Monday released a new report detailing widespread attacks on journalists in Nigeria, with government officials and security agencies identified as the leading perpetrators.


The 129-page report, titled “When Protectors Become Predators: The State Against Freedom of Expression in Nigeria,” was issued to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. It documents incidents recorded between January 1 and October 31, 2025.


According to the report, government actors were responsible for nearly 74 percent of all violations against journalists during the period under review. The Nigeria Police Force accounted for 45 percent of the cases, making it the single largest source of documented attacks.


Other implicated agencies include the Department of State Services (DSS), various military and paramilitary formations, as well as elected and appointed political officeholders at different levels of government.


MRA recorded 69 incidents, ranging from arbitrary arrests, detentions and physical assaults to abductions, threats, invasions of media offices and other forms of harassment targeted at journalists and media workers.


MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Ayode Longe, said the findings show a troubling pattern in which state institutions mandated to protect citizens have instead become major violators of media rights.


“Journalists in Nigeria are increasingly under siege, principally from the very state institutions charged with protecting them,” he said. “This trend contradicts the Government’s constitutional obligation to guarantee their safety and uphold the public’s right to know.”


The report warned that persistent impunity for attacks on journalists has weakened trust in state institutions and encouraged further violations, creating an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship.


MRA reminded the government that the protection of journalists is a legal requirement under the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.


It called on the Federal Government to establish accountability mechanisms for officials involved in abuses, reform security and law enforcement agencies, and stop the misuse of laws such as the Cybercrime Act against the media.


The organization also urged the National Assembly to criminalize attacks on journalists and advised the National Judicial Council (NJC) to monitor and curb the use of court processes to harass reporters.


The full report is available for download at: https://bit.ly/4oKzxoN

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