Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged
\n“Nigeria’s authorities to immediately lift the siege to the offices of
\nSahara Reporters and Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR),
\nend the illegality and allow journalists, activists and civil society to
\noperate freely.”<\/p>\n
In a statement today by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the
\norganization said: “Nigeria’s security agents and state governors should
\nalso immediately stop the nationwide campaign of arbitrary arrests
\nagainst journalists, activists and protesters. The attack on Sahara
\nReporters and CDHR is coming on the heels of staggering crackdown on
\ncritics, journalists and activists by many state governors.”<\/p>\n
The statement read in part: “The federal authorities and many state
\ngovernors are targeting journalists, critics and activists, in clear
\nviolation of Nigeria’s constitution of 1999 (as amended), and
\ninternational obligations, as a party to the International Covenant on
\nCivil and Political Rights to requiring the authorities to respect
\nfundamental rights and the rules of law.”<\/p>\n
“These attacks are clearly aimed at silencing the kind of journalism and
\ninvestigative reporting that makes federal and state governments
\nuncomfortable. President Muhammadu Buhari now needs to make clear that
\nhe doesn’t want any part of this kind of behaviour and that unacceptable
\nand dangerous threats and attacks against journalists, protesters and
\nactivists will be fully investigated.”<\/p>\n
“The international community including the African Union, the UN human
\nrights special mechanisms and Treaties Bodies, the African Commission on
\nHuman and Peoples’ Rights as well as Nigeria’s international partners
\ncan and should push for an end to the escalating crackdown on
\njournalists, bloggers and activists, and for investigations and
\nprosecutions of those responsible for the intimidation, harassment and
\nattacks.”<\/p>\n
“Otherwise, when state security forces arbitrarily arrest and detain
\nbrave journalists and protesters like Agba Jalingo, Omoyele Sowore, and
\nMary Ekere and continue to get away with it, they benefit from a climate
\nof impunity.”<\/p>\n
“These journalists are prisoners of conscience who must be released
\nimmediately and unconditionally.”<\/p>\n
“We strongly condemn the arrest of Mary Ekere\u00a0 of The Post, for taking
\nphotos of task force officials who raided a city spot, and Agba Jalingo,
\nEditor-in-Chief and Publisher of CrossRiverWatch, following his
\npublication of an article asking Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River to
\ncome clean on the whereabouts of the N500 million that was released for
\nthe State’s Microfinance bank.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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),…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-news"],"yoast_head":"\n