The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) 2025 Annual Report on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria documented 86 incidents of attacks and violations against media freedom across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, with zero successful investigations or prosecutions in any case despite many constituting criminal offenses
This was revealed in its 2025 Annual Report on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, titled “The Reign of Impunity,” painting a grim picture of escalating threats to media freedom and civic expression across the country.
Among the most troubling revelations, the 147-page report identifies the Nigeria Police Force as the leading perpetrator, implicated in 41 incidents—nearly 48 percent of the total violations documented.
The Department of State Services (DSS) ranked second, accounting for approximately 7 percent of cases, meaning the two state security and law enforcement agencies together were responsible for over half of all recorded attacks.
These findings highlight how institutions tasked with upholding law and order have instead become primary instruments in suppressing free expression, through tactics ranging from arbitrary arrests and detentions (the most common form, with 38 cases, or over 44 percent) to widespread physical assaults (21 cases, over 24 percent).
The report also notes two fatal incidents—one journalist killed in the line of duty and another involving a woman murdered for alleged blasphemy—alongside isolated cases of kidnapping and the shutdown of a media outlet. Emerging trends include the persistent weaponization of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015 to target critics, increased use of digital surveillance and spyware against journalists, and routine disregard for non-state actor violence, even when security forces are present.
Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, recorded the highest number of attacks, with 16 and 14 incidents, respectively.
It was also noted in the report that in addition to failing to investigate incidents of crimes against journalists, law enforcement and security agencies frequently turned a blind eye to attacks by non-state actors even while they were present. They also actively participated in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests and demonstrations, with journalists frequently targeted while covering such incidents.
In a preface to the report, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, noted that although the media landscape continued to evolve rapidly during the year, shaped largely by developments in digital technologies, the fundamental challenges confronting journalists and the media sector remained deeply entrenched.
He described the challenges as “political, legal, economic, and social, characterized by attacks on journalists, misuse of laws and regulatory powers, shrinking civic space, an extremely difficult economic environment, and growing threats in the digital environment, which once again tested the resilience of Nigeria’s media outlets.”
Mr. Ojo stressed that the persistent “culture of impunity remains one of the gravest threats to media freedom in Nigeria, emboldening perpetrators and sometimes deepening fear and self-censorship within the media community.”
MRA therefore urged the Federal Government and relevant authorities to ensure that law enforcement agencies promptly and transparently investigate all attacks against journalists and citizens and make the outcomes of such investigations public.
It called on the government to “issue directives to security agencies with the clear prohibition of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and other forms of attacks against journalists for carrying out their professional duties or against individual citizens for peacefully expressing themselves, especially online.”
MRA recommended that in compliance with the UN Plan of Action on the safety of journalists, the Federal Government should establish a national mechanism or policy framework dedicated to the safety and protection of journalists, in accordance with international norms and standards, including providing for early warning systems and rapid response protocols.