To commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), the International Press Centre (IPC) and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have urged President Bola Tinubu to lead a campaign against crimes against journalists and punish those who assault journalists in the country.

The United Nations General Assembly A/RES/68/163 declared November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI) at its 68th session in 2013, in recognition of the far-reaching consequences of impunity, particularly for crimes against journalists.

The organisations, in separate statements on Thursday, observed the rising spate of assaults and attacks on journalists across the country by government officials and non state actors.

A statement by the IPC notes that “threats to journalism and press freedom are alarming due to the numerous monitored and documented incidents of attacks against journalists that have worsened in the last decade and largely remain judicially unresolved.”

It further noted that deaths of journalists like Alex Ogbu of Regent Africa Times, Ikechukwu Onubogu of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Maxwell Nashan of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Onifade, Emmanuel Pelumi of Gboah TV and Precious Owolabi of Channels TV who were killed in line of duty, still remain unsolved by the law enforcement agency.

Other forms of attack against journalists in the past, include “Imposition of fines, physical assault, harassment, deleting of pictures, unlawful arrest, detention, intimidation, denial of access to polling unit to cover electoral process, molestation, threat to life, abduction, damage to vehicle, sporadic gunshot and explosion, while Persons/groups allegedly responsible were – NBC, political thugs, military officers, police officers, angry youths, alleged gunmen, security operatives, kidnappers and duty bearers”

Expressing dissatisfaction with the consistent attacks on the free press, the Executive Director, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade noted that the frequent on journalists are an impediment to the functions of the media practitioners. “The fight to end the entrenched culture of impunity for crimes against the media, requires a multi-stakeholder approach. this is why IPC along with other media support and media professional groups as well as other stakeholders including the civil society, have for some time spearheaded the campaign for the establishment of a national mechanism for the safety and protection of journalists in Nigeria”.

Mr. Arogundade called on the Tinubu administration to take urgent measures to comply with regional and international frameworks on safety journalists.

Similarly, Mr. Edetaen, Executive Director of the Media Rights Agenda, urged President Tinubu’s administration to take a measured approach to protecting Nigerian journalists and ending impunity for crimes against them by ensuring that both state and non-state actors who assault journalists face just punishment under the law.

Mr. Ojo stated that for more than a decade, the Nigerian government has neglected to defend journalists who have been attacked while performing their duties, adding some media professionals have been the victims of cruel treatment, including extrajudicial executions, torture, physical assault against journalists, arbitrary detention, intimidation, and harassment.

He also maintained that it is the duty of the current government to ensure that media profession is safe for the practitioners, stating that since the President also owns media platforms, it is within his prerogative to ensure journalists are at liberty to perform their tasks seamlessly.

“Under the current administration, the need to put in place mechanisms to ensure the safety of journalists ought not to be a difficult case to make. As a media owner, President Tinubu must certainly be personally aware of the important role that the media play in ensuring an informed citizenry and the emergence of a knowledgeable society, in providing members of the public with critical information that they require to make important decisions in their lives and in upholding the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people as well as the fact that the work of journalists often puts them at risk of intimidation, harassment and violence.”

“It is our hope that being better informed about these issues than his predecessors in office, the President will direct the relevant officials and agencies in his Administration to take necessary steps and work with other media stakeholders, including media professional bodies and civil society organizations, to establish a national mechanism for ensuring the safety of journalists and ending impunity for crimes against journalists.”