MARCEL MBAMALUOn March 15, the Editor of FirstNews and former Kaduna Bureau Chief of The PUNCH, Segun Olatunji was taken from his home in Iyana Odo, Abule Egba, Lagos State. He was taken away in a gestapo style by people suspected to be members of the Nigerian army. Olatunji had published a story in FirstNews entitled: “Revealed: “Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers”. The report equally appeared in other news outlets. He had also published a story later withdrawn by his organisation with the topic: “EXCLUSIVE: How contractor, company stole N100bn, laundered funds for top govt. officials – Investigation”. Since the abduction of its editor, the management of FirstNews has called on the military high command and the federal government to intervene in the case to reveal information on the whereabouts of Mr Olatunji.
Sadly, Olatunji’s abduction brings to over 60 the number of journalists facing harassment and attacks in Nigeria in just over a year. According to Reporters Without Borders also called Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), 39 journalists were harassed by government officials and non-state actors in Nigeria in 2023, when the country placed 123 out of 192 countries where journalists are most endangered. Nigerian had also ranked 129 in 2022, and remains one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist in West Africa. Worldwide, 541 journalists languish in detention just for doing their work.
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In addition to arrests, molestations and kidnapping of journalists, the number of fatalities is also rising continuously. In Nigeria, the Committee to Protect Journalists “has documented the killing of at least 22 journalists in Nigeria since 1992, as well as two others who are missing and presumed dead. At least 12 of these journalists are confirmed to have been killed in connection with their work.” The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says that 94 journalists died worldwide in 2023, with 72% coming from the Israel-Gaza war. The IFJ also estimates that the Israel-Gaza war kills at least one journalist on average per day, making it unprecedented in history. Wars have been a costly time for journalists with a record 140 killed in 2012 due to the wars in Iraq and Syria.
Unfortunately, the impunity that trails the high number of journalists killed worldwide over the years is making it look as if journalists’ life do not matter. Impunity is therefore a cause for great concern. Since Dele Giwa in 1986, hardly has there been any case where the killers of journalists were found and punished in Nigeria. The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has expressed its concern that journalist are dying for nothing in Nigeria.
Prominent among the unresolved deaths of journalists since 1999 are Pelumi Onifade (Gboa TV, Lagos), Bayo-Ohu (Assistant News Editor, The Guardian), Zakariyah Isa (Nigerian Television Authority, NTA), Samson Boyi (The Scope, owned by Adamawa State), Fidelis Ikwuebe (a freelancer with The Guardian); Enenche Akogwu (Channels TV), Sam Nimfa-Jan (NTA), Maxwell Nashal (Federal Radio Corporation, FRCN), Precious Owolabi (Channels TV), Titus Badejo (Naija FM, Oyo), Tordue Salem (Vanguard).
In a recent incident, the police public relations officers (PPROs) in Lagos, Adamawa and Borno were contacted by newsmen for updates on the investigations. The Lagos PPRO, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told newsmen that he had reached out to the state criminal investigation and intelligence department on one of the deaths but did not receive a reply. Similarly, the police spokesperson in Adamawa, Sulaiman Nguroje, said it would be difficult to find records on murders that happened long ago such as the murder of Samson Boyi which happened in 1999.
To this end, we align with the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), which has called for an overhaul of the country’s criminal justice system for better justice delivery. Similarly, in calling for steps to enhance the freedom of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists has directed the attention of Prescient Tinubu to the need to overhaul legislation, rules, and changes to stop the imprisonment and monitoring of journalists. Above, the Nigerian Police Force needs some investigations on the state of its information processing, storage and retrieval. Paramount in the investigation should be questions on sabotage, corruption and methodical compromise of the criminal investigation system.
Dr Mbamalu, a Jefferson Fellow, is an Editor, Publisher and Communications Consultant. Follow on X: @marcelmbamalu
Dr. Marcel Mbamalu is a communication scholar, journalist and entrepreneur. He holds a Ph.D in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and is the Chief Executive Officer Newstide Publications, the publishers of Prime Business Africa.
A seasoned journalist, he horned his journalism skills at The Guardian Newspaper, rising to the position of News Editor at the flagship of the Nigerian press. He has garnered multidisciplinary experience in marketing communication, public relations and media research, helping clients to deliver bespoke campaigns within Nigeria and across Africa.
He has built an expansive network in the media and has served as a media trainer for World Health Organisation (WHO) at various times in Northeast Nigeria. He has attended numerous media trainings, including the Bloomberg Financial Journalism Training and Reuters/AfDB training on Effective Coverage of Infrastructural Development of Africa.
A versatile media expert, he won the Jefferson Fellowship in 2023 as the sole Africa representative on the program. Dr Mbamalu was part of a global media team that covered the 2020 United State’s Presidential election. As Africa's sole representative in the 2023 Jefferson Fellowships, Dr Mbamalu was selected to tour the United States and Asia (Japan and Hong Kong) as part of a 12-man global team of journalists on a travel grant to report on inclusion, income gaps and migration issues between the US and Asia.
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