TheCable

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) says since 1986, there have been 1,034 “verified” attacks on over 1,000 journalists in Nigeria.

The organisation said its first documented attack was the infamous killing of Dele Giwa, founder of Newswatch magazine.

Giwa was killed in his Ikeja, Lagos home on October 19, 1986 by a parcel bomb.

While presenting her organisation’s findings during a two-day conference on the safety of journalists in Nigeria, Benedicta Akpede, CJID’s project officer, said the attacks were recorded in the six geo-political zones of the country.

The project officer said the attacks ranged from physical assaults, access denials, unlawful arrests, harassments, and threats.

“The initial period, spanning from 1986 to 1998, witnessed a total of 12 recorded incidents,” she said.

“1999-2003: The subsequent five-year marked a significant upswing, with 131 incidents recorded.

“From 2004 to 2008, there was a fluctuation in incidents, totaling 69. 2009-2013: The following five years saw a decrease in incidents, with a total of 48 recorded.

“A considerable surge occurred from 2014 to 2018, with a total of 178 incidents.

“2019-2023: The most recent data, spanning from 2019 to 2023, reveals a substantial increase, with a total of 597 journalists attacked.”

Also speaking, Edataen Ojo, executive director of media rights agenda, said frequent attacks on journalists affect their ability to report independently.

“As a community, the media sector is to focus on reporting events that they consider newsworthy, and they often do not see attacks on colleagues as newsworthy,” Ojo said.

“That mindset needs to change, because attacks on journalists are very significant incidents, but they also affect the ability of journalists to report independently and accurately.

“So part of the objective here is to find ways to encourage journalists to report any attack on them.”

The event was organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nigeria.