Police condemn attacks on journalists

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Nigeria Police Force has said it does not, in any way, support attacks on journalists while covering protests or carrying out their lawful duties.

The Force said journalists are free to perform their constitutional roles and should be protected at all times, describing any attack on media professionals as unacceptable.

The condemnation was made by the Relations Department of the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Olamiju Olubunmi, one of the panellists at a Multi-stakeholder Roundtable on Strengthening Civic Space, organised by the Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, in Abuja

Olubunmi said the police frowned at all forms of intimidation and violence against journalists, noting that the Force maintained a cordial relationship with the media.

“I want to state clearly that the Nigeria Police Force does not in any way support journalists being attacked while carrying out their duties,” she said.

She, however, acknowledged that misconduct by a few officers often overshadowed the conduct of the majority.

“In an organisation of over 100,000 people, you can have a few bad eggs. Unfortunately, their actions are what get broadcast to the whole world,” she added.

Olubunmi said it was wrong for officers deployed to protest grounds to attack journalists, stressing that such actions were against police ethics and professional standards.

“In a situation where officers detailed to a protest ground start attacking journalists, it is very wrong, and we stand against it,” she said.

She urged journalists to report such incidents promptly to enable the authorities take appropriate action and protect the rights of media professionals and other Nigerians.

Also speaking, the Director of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages at the National Human Rights Commission, Fatima Agwai Mohammed, called for the full integration of human rights principles into policing.

She said mainstreaming human rights in police operations would reduce excessive use of force and promote proportional response during public engagements.

“There is what we call human rights policing. When human rights are properly mainstreamed, you won’t have issues of excessive force or misuse of tear gas,” she said.

Mohammed noted that human rights education had been incorporated into the curriculum of the Nigeria Police Academy, following sustained advocacy by the commission.

She said young officers must see themselves as agents of change within the Force.

National President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdul, said the union was prioritising the safety of journalists in 2026.

He disclosed that the NUJ was exploring a new insurance scheme for practising journalists, noting that less than one per cent currently had any form of insurance coverage.

“Journalists are being attacked, intimidated, arrested and even killed. Yet, most of them have no insurance,” he said.

Abdul admitted that trust issues existed between journalists and the police but stressed the need to strengthen collaboration in line with constitutional provisions.

“We need to improve this relationship so that we can work together. If we get it right, we can jointly contribute to building a better Nigeria,” he added.