The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned the alarming rise in attacks, intimidation, and harassment of journalists across Nigeria, including the recent arrest and detention of Mr Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa in Kebbi State on the orders of Governor Nasir Idris, following the circulation of a video that exposed the deplorable state of facilities at the Kangiwa General Hospital in the State.
This was contained in a press statement signed by Idowu Adewale, MRA’s Communications Officer yesterday. The statement warns that the trend, if unchecked, poses a grave threat to media freedom, freedom of expression, and citizens’ right of access to information.
MRA called on regional and international human rights mechanisms to take urgent measures to redress the situation by closely monitoring Nigeria’s compliance with its human rights obligations and holding the government accountable for breaches of those obligations.
The statement reads in part: “Hassan had posted a video online showing an elderly patient lying helplessly on a bare metal bed frame without a mattress, sparking outrage across the country and renewed calls for accountability in the health sector.
Rather than addressing the clear neglect and decay in the hospital system revealed in the footage, Governor Idris chose to punish the journalist by criminalising his work and violating his rights as a journalist.
“According to eyewitnesses, security operatives stormed Hassan’s residence in Kangiwa town late in the night of Sunday, September 7 arresting him in front of his family. His phones and work equipment were seized during the raid, raising further concerns about the violation of his privacy and professional rights.”
MRA’s Programme Officer, John Gbadamosi, noted that the incident is not isolated but part of a disturbing pattern of attacks against journalists in Nigeria, who are carrying out their professional duties.
He called on the state government to immediately and unconditionally release Hassan and advised Governor Idris to desist from persecuting journalists and instead focus on addressing the decay in public infrastructure, which his government has a responsibility to fix.
