A report by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has said government officials are responsible for 74 per cent of attacks on journalists and freedom of expression recorded in Nigeria between January 1 and October 31. The report titled ‘When Protectors Become Predators: The State Against Freedom of Expression in Nigeria,’ revealed that police is the worst offender, accounting for 45 per cent of all incidents of violation of media rights.
The 129-page report documented a disturbing pattern of attacks, intimidation, and harassment targeted at journalists and other media workers by security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies, which are the very institutions that are supposed to protect them.
According to the report, other perpetrators of attacks on journalists include operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), various branches of the military and paramilitary agencies, as well as elected and appointed political office holders at federal and state levels, among others.
The MRA said at least 69 incidents were documented during the period under review, including arbitrary arrests and detention, physical attacks, threats to life, invasions of media offices, abductions, and other forms of harassment or intimidation of journalists performing their legitimate professional duties.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, said: “The report shows that journalists in Nigeria are increasingly under siege, not just from criminals and insurgents, but principally from the very state institutions charged with protecting them.
“This trend is a direct contradiction of the Government’s constitutional and international legal duty to guarantee the safety Abdulwahab Isa ABUJA Ahead of January 1, 2026 being the timeline for the implementation of planned new tax laws, the presidential fiscal policy and tax reform committee said Nigerian masses are eligible for 50 tax exemptions. The Chairman of the presidential fiscal policy, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, who stated some of the 50 exemptions in his verified X handle said the exemptions will benefit the masses under the new tax laws.
He said: “From 1 January 2026, the new tax laws will provide many reliefs and exemptions for low-income earners, average taxpayers and small businesses including personal income tax or PAYE.” Oyedele stated categories of persons to be exempted of media practitioners and uphold the public’s right to be informed. “It represents a fundamental breakdown of law enforcement accountability and a direct assault on democracy and the rule of law.”
The report noted that the climate of pervasive impunity for attacks against journalists has not only eroded public trust in government institutions but has also continued to fuel further violations as perpetrators are rarely identified, investigated or prosecuted, creating an environment of fear and selfcensorship that is weakening democratic governance.
