Abuja, Nigeria – The Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has condemned the police for the “sustained harassment” of a journalist, Azuka Ogujiuba. The organisation said her treatment undermines press freedom and erodes public confidence in the rule of law.
According to a statement from IPI Nigeria deputies, Fidelis Mbah and Tobi Soniyi, Ogujiuba, a publisher and former reporter, was arrested and detained on two separate occasions while reporting on a land dispute court case. Despite living and working in Lagos, she has been repeatedly summoned to Abuja by police.
The IPI warned that such actions violate Nigeria’s obligations under international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The organisation has demanded that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, order officers to stop the harassment and handle any allegations through due legal process. IPI Nigeria stated that if the pattern of harassment continues, it will formally include the Inspector-General in its “Book of Infamy,” a public record of individuals and institutions that violate press freedom in Nigeria.
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