The federal government and security agencies have been urged to ensure the safety of citizens and journalists during the nationwide protest scheduled to hold from August 1-10, 2024.
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) in separate statements noted the rights of citizens to peaceful assembly and coverage by journalists.
“We emphasise that the right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental right of every citizen, enshrined in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and protected under international human rights laws,” Executive Director of WSCIJ, Mrs Motunrayo Alaka said in a statement.
Along with other stakeholders, WSCIJ called on authorities to put in place measures to prioritise the right to peaceful assembly of citizens and journalists’ safety in the light of reported upcoming protests.
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) in the statement by its Programme Officer, Esther Adeniyi stressed that as citizens exercise their democratic right to protest unpopular government policies and actions, it is imperative that journalists are able to report on the events without fear of harassment, obstruction, or violence targeted at them.
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.
According to WSCIJ’s 2022 media monitoring report, ‘Hushed Voices and the Media’s Defence of the Civic Space’, journalists face significant risks while covering protests as 22.7% of the 75 documented incidents affecting journalists occurred at protest venues.
“These cases of harassment, violence, and suppression not only jeopardise journalists’ safety but also threaten the freedom of the press. The government and its relevant agencies have an obligation to protect journalists to maintain a healthy democracy and ensure the media can operate without fear of reprisal.”
Adeniyi said the call to protect journalists became necessary in light of recent events where journalists have faced undue harassment, obstruction, and violence while performing their duties with relevant authorities taking no steps or measures to ensure their safety, including during critical moments of public demonstrations.
Ms Adeniyi also called on members of the public, including protesters, to recognize the important role that journalists play in a democracy and, therefore, support and protect them as they report on critical events affecting the nation.
She urged journalists to implement personal security plans as they go about covering the protests given the documented instances of harassment, intimidation, and violence against media professionals during previous protests. She also advised them to report any incident of attacks or harassment that they encounter while covering the protests through MRA’s hotline – 0806 524 0610.
