The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Kano State government to move beyond condemnation and ensure the identification, arrest and prosecution of those who attacked journalists covering an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in the state.
MRA’s Senior Legal Officer, Ms Iluobe Adams, in a statement, welcomed the strong condemnation of the attack by the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, but noted that journalists performing their legitimate professional duties must be protected and allowed to work without fear, intimidation or harassment.
“Condemnation is an important first step, but accountability is the necessary next step. The Commissioner can demonstrate the seriousness of his position by ensuring that this case does not disappear without a proper investigation, identification of the perpetrators and appropriate legal consequences,” she said.
According to reports, a vehicle belonging to Radio Nigeria’s Pyramid FM, conveying four of the station’s staff, a journalist from Guarantee Radio and another from the Daily Trust newspaper, was attacked by hoodlums armed with machetes and knives shortly after the journalists covered the APC rally at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. The attackers repeatedly struck the vehicle, injuring the driver, while some of the journalists were hit by broken glass from the damaged vehicle.
Adams urged Commissioner Waiya to follow up personally on the investigation, engage directly with security authorities to ensure a prompt and transparent probe, provide regular updates on its progress, and make the findings public. She insisted that identified perpetrators must be prosecuted in accordance with the law, regardless of their political affiliation or connections.
She also called on the Commissioner to engage with the management of Pyramid FM, the affected journalists and the Kano State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to obtain a first-hand account of the incident and determine whether additional measures are needed to protect journalists covering political activities in the state.
Such action, Adams said, “would send a powerful message that violence against journalists will not be tolerated”.
She emphasised that an attack on journalists covering a political event is not merely an assault on individual media workers but an attack on the public’s right to know and on the democratic process itself.
“Journalists play a critical role in informing citizens about political parties, candidates, policies and public events, enabling voters to make informed decisions. Any attempt to intimidate or prevent them from carrying out this function undermines meaningful democratic participation, and failure to investigate and prosecute such attacks risks encouraging further violence as political competition intensifies,” Adams emphasised.
Adams urged the Commissioner to use the incident as an opportunity to establish a more systematic mechanism for protecting journalists at political events in Kano. This could include regular consultations between the Ministry of Information, security agencies, political parties, the NUJ and media organisations; clear protocols for journalist safety at political gatherings; and mechanisms for rapidly reporting and responding to attacks or threats.
She further called on political parties and their supporters, security agencies, event organisers and other stakeholders to recognise the legitimate role of journalists at political events and take proactive steps to guarantee their safety.
Media organisations were also urged to strengthen safety protocols for journalists covering potentially volatile assignments, including risk assessments, emergency communication arrangements and access to timely legal and security assistance.
MRA said it would continue to monitor developments and called on the authorities to provide timely information on the outcome of the investigation.
