Police condemn attacks on journalists, says open to reports

2026-01-29 - 20:05

By Gabriel Ewepu ABUJA – AS civic space shrinks, the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, Thursday, openly condemned personnel attacks on journalists covering protests and other related civil actions in the democratic space. 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 explained that journalists are not seen as enemies, but it is unfortunate that some police personnel attack them and also destroy their equipment. She also said the police is to give journalists protection since they are out to perform their constitutional duties as the police, hence it is unacceptable and unprofessional to attack media practitioners. According to her, the media is a partner the Force respects and works together with to ensure Nigerians are protected, and any personnel attacking journalists while doing their job is against police ethics and professional standards. She said: “I want to state clearly that the Nigeria Police Force does not in any way support journalists being attacked while carrying out their duties. “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.” Meanwhile, she urged journalists to report such misconduct of any personnel for prompt action in order to caution officers and men of the Force. The National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdul, disclosed that the union has resolved to prioritise the safety of journalists in 2026. Abdul who was one of the panelists said the lives and properties of journalists are very important; therefore, the NUJ is currently working hard to ensure they are captured under a new insurance scheme. According to him, less than one per cent of journalists have any form of insurance coverage. “Journalists are being attacked, intimidated, arrested and even killed. Yet, most of them have no insurance,” he said. He also pointed out that the relationship between the NPF and journalists is not really cordial as expected, hence the trust gap still exists. Abdul admitted that trust issues, which he called for stronger collaboration and synergy between the Police and journalists based on their constitutional roles. “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 said. Also speaking, the Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, National Human Rights Commission, Fatima Agwai Mohammed, called on the government to integrate core human rights principles into police training and policing. Mohammed said that when human rights principles are embedded in police operations, it would positively impact policing, and use of force will be minimal because of the civility it comes with in the approach used by the personnel during protest management and other cases. She also made it known that through the constant advocacy and engagements by the Commission with the police, human rights education had been incorporated into the curriculum of the Nigeria Police Academy. “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.