Ahead of the planned nationwide protest, which is expected to begin on Thursday, August 1, the International Press Centre (IPC) and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have tasked journalists who will be on duty to take safety precautions to avoid the attack, as well as calling on government agencies to protect the lives of media professionals.

The organisations, in separate press statements released today, acknowledged the rights of the citizens to protest for transformative change, while journalists and media professionals must report the activities as stated in the principles of freedom of expression in Nigerian and African laws.

As a result, the organisations reminded the government of past events where journalists have been harassed and assaulted while carrying out their constitutional responsibilities at the hands of both state and non-state actors.

In light of this, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the IPC, urged journalists to exercise caution and adopt safety measures while carrying out their activities in a professional manner.

Furthermore, he called on the security services to respect the obligations of journalists and reminded the public, including protesters, of the media’s crucial role in covering significant events during demonstrations by providing them with assistance and protection.

“Journalists who are to cover the protests should ensure that they are fully kitted and have their identification card displayed to avoid situations wherein security agencies may mistake them as protesters and avoid a situation that would make the security agencies question them, unduly harass, or bar them from performing their duties,” he added.

“The security forces should note that the media plays a critical role in the information dissemination chain and are obligated to professionally carry out their task in reporting societal events, hence they be accorded due rights and privileges to enable them to carry out their social obligations. The media should be seen as partners in progress and not as adversaries”, Mr. Arogundade stressed.

Similarly, Ms Esther Adeniyi, the Programme Officer of MRA urged the government and security agencies to adopt and implement specific measures to protect journalists during the protests, including ensuring their physical safety, respecting their right to gather information, and preventing any form of intimidation or violence against them.

She further stressed the need for security agencies According to her, the call became necessary in light of recent events in which journalists have been subjected to undue harassment, obstruction, and violence while performing their duties, with relevant authorities taking no steps or measures to ensure their safety, including during critical public demonstrations.

She reaffirmed that media professionals and journalists need unrestricted access from security personnel to cover protests and other public gatherings, adding that preventing them from reporting in any way is a clear violation of press freedom and compromises the public’s right to know.

“The right of journalists to cover protests is fundamental to a functioning democracy. As Nigeria braces for significant protests in the coming days, journalists must be allowed to perform their duties safely and without interference. We call on the government and security agencies to take immediate action and proactive measures to protect journalists and uphold the principles of press freedom.

“In particular, the Government and security agencies should respect the role of the media and allow journalists to report freely and without hindrance; take proactive measures to ensure the safety of journalists covering the protests, including protecting them from physical harm, harassment, and unjust arrest or detention, as well as promptly investigating and bringing to justice anyone who threatens, attacks or harms any journalist”, she said.