Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has raised the alarm over what it calls an “alarming escalation of attacks” on media freedom and civic expression during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first two years in office.
In a mid-term assessment report released today, MRA accused law enforcement agencies of systematically misusing Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act to intimidate and silence journalists, bloggers, and government critics.
The report, titled “The Onslaught Intensifies: A Mid-term Assessment Report on Media Freedom under the Tinubu Administration,” documents 141 incidents of attacks between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2025.
According to MRA, the majority of the violations were linked to the Nigeria Police, which it said was responsible for 61 of the cases (43.26%), while the Department of State Services (DSS) accounted for another seven (4.96%) of violations of media rights and freedom of expression in the two years of the present administration.
MRA emphasized that the Tinubu Administration bears full legal responsibility for these violations. It cited Principle 20(5) of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, which establishes that states are liable for actions by law enforcement, security, and intelligence agencies that infringe on the safety and rights of media practitioners.
In the preface to the report, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, warned of a growing trend of repression. “We are seeing threats to media freedom in Nigeria through the continued implementation of repressive laws, such as the Cybercrime Act which is frequently used to target, silence or punish journalists,” he said.
He also noted other tactics including politically motivated sanctions, arrests, intimidation, and censorship of state-run media.
Mr. Ojo described the report as a “timely intervention in a political climate where democratic gains continue to face increasing threats from censorship, regulatory overreach, violence against journalists, and the misuse of digital surveillance technologies.”
He stressed that the purpose of the report is not simply to criticize, but to analyze the extent to which the Tinubu government has helped or harmed the media freedom landscape.
Among the most troubling findings, MRA said, was the rampant abuse of the Cybercrime Act, particularly Section 24 , which has become a key instrument for punishing dissenting voices online. The report cited numerous arrests, including that of Emmanuel Uti of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), blogger Destiny Ekhorutomuen, and several reporters from Informant247, among others.
According to the report, many of those arrested faced stringent bail conditions, prolonged detention, or criminal charges over their expression of dissent. This widespread misuse of the law even drew international backlash.
In June 2025, the Heads of Mission of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, and Finland issued a joint statement condemning Nigeria’s abuse of the Cybercrime Act and called for urgent legal reforms.
The report further condemned the administration’s handling of peaceful protests, noting that the government has increasingly treated dissent as treason. “Peaceful protesters, including minors, have been charged with treason, a crime punishable by death for exercising their democratic rights,” the report noted. It added that journalists covering such events are often attacked, arrested, or have their equipment seized, with no accountability for the perpetrators.
MRA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, expressed dismay over the administration’s approach. “It is deeply ironic and troubling that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, himself a former pro-democracy activist and owner of multiple media outlets, now presides over an administration increasingly defined by the repression of the very freedoms he once championed,” he said.
MRA called on key stakeholders, including civil society, the media, the National Assembly, the Judiciary, and the international community to pressure the Nigerian government into initiating reforms that safeguard media freedom and democratic values. “The survival of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it,” the organization warned.