Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged
“Nigeria’s authorities to immediately lift the siege to the offices of
Sahara Reporters and Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR),
end the illegality and allow journalists, activists and civil society to
operate freely.”
In a statement today by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the
organization said: “Nigeria’s security agents and state governors should
also immediately stop the nationwide campaign of arbitrary arrests
against journalists, activists and protesters. The attack on Sahara
Reporters and CDHR is coming on the heels of staggering crackdown on
critics, journalists and activists by many state governors.”
The statement read in part: “The federal authorities and many state
governors are targeting journalists, critics and activists, in clear
violation of Nigeria’s constitution of 1999 (as amended), and
international obligations, as a party to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights to requiring the authorities to respect
fundamental rights and the rules of law.”
“These attacks are clearly aimed at silencing the kind of journalism and
investigative reporting that makes federal and state governments
uncomfortable. President Muhammadu Buhari now needs to make clear that
he doesn’t want any part of this kind of behaviour and that unacceptable
and dangerous threats and attacks against journalists, protesters and
activists will be fully investigated.”
“The international community including the African Union, the UN human
rights special mechanisms and Treaties Bodies, the African Commission on
Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as Nigeria’s international partners
can and should push for an end to the escalating crackdown on
journalists, bloggers and activists, and for investigations and
prosecutions of those responsible for the intimidation, harassment and
attacks.”
“Otherwise, when state security forces arbitrarily arrest and detain
brave journalists and protesters like Agba Jalingo, Omoyele Sowore, and
Mary Ekere and continue to get away with it, they benefit from a climate
of impunity.”
“These journalists are prisoners of conscience who must be released
immediately and unconditionally.”
“We strongly condemn the arrest of Mary Ekere of The Post, for taking
photos of task force officials who raided a city spot, and Agba Jalingo,
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of CrossRiverWatch, following his
publication of an article asking Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River to
come clean on the whereabouts of the N500 million that was released for
the State’s Microfinance bank.”