Media Rights Agenda (MRA), has condemned the recent acts of harassment and intimidation of journalists and media outlets by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC).
This is contained in a press release signed by MRA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale.
The condemnation comes in response to a police invitation sent to Mr. Nurudeen Yahaya Akewushola, a reporter with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), and the organization’s “Managing Directors” over an alleged investigation into a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character. The invitation, dated April 16, 2024, demanded their presence at the NPF-NCC in Abuja on April 24.
Mr Adewale expressed alarm at the “troubling pattern of harassment and intimidation faced by journalists in Nigeria, particularly through the misuse of the Cybercrimes Act.”
He noted that the organization is particularly disturbed by the surge in such practices under President Tinubu’s administration, given his history as a media owner and democratic activist.
Mr Adewale further expressed concerns that the police invitation may be linked to Akewushola’s investigative reporting, which uncovered allegations of corruption involving former Inspectors General of Police. He termed such actions by the Police to shield former heads of the Force from scrutiny as “an odious abuse of power.”
MRA also raised concerns about the lack of due process in the Police’s actions, citing the failure to provide Akewushola and the ICIR with a copy of the petition being investigated or details of the allegations against them, while pretending to give them an opportunity to defend themselves.
MRA calls on President Tinubu to instruct the Police to desist from misusing the Cybercrimes Act to suppress journalistic freedom, harass, or intimidate journalists and the media, stressing that “a free and independent press is essential to the effective functioning of any democratic system of government.”