By Ayo Jones
The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has established a Centre for the Safety and Protection of Journalists (CSPJ) to tackle attacks on journalists and the threats on media freedom in Nigeria.
This was part of IPC’s unique activities to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, WPFD, 2023.
IPC’s Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, in a statement, said Melody Lawal had been appointed as the Centre Coordinator, with the task of positioning the CSPJ to strategically coordinate initiatives to respond to the challenge of addressing the worsening state of the safety of journalists and Press freedom in Nigeria.
Unlike 2021 when 41 attacks were documented, the IPC Safety of Journalists Alert Desk recorded 66 attacks in 2022 with the perpetrators including law enforcement and security agents; political thugs and hoodlums; unknown gunmen, among others.
The breakdown shows that four attacks were recorded in the North West; 16 in the North Central; six in the North East; 26 in the South West; four in the South East and ten in the South South.
The types of attacks include physical assault, abduction, gun attack, threat to life, denial of access to information, unlawful arrest and detention, harassment, threat to sanction and payment of fine, with 26 broadcast journalists, 13 print journalists and 24 online journalists among those affected.
In terms of gender, 56 male journalists and 10 female journalists suffered one form of molestation or the other.
According to the statement by IPC, full details of the attacks and the modus operandi of the new Centre on the Safety of Journalists will be unveiled at a media roundtable organised by IPC in partnership with the West Zone of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists at Ibadan, Oyo State.
The roundtable, slated for Friday, May 5, 2023 shall have Professor Tokunbo Adaja, Dean College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), giving the keynote address on “Protecting Freedom of Expression in the Age of Misinformation and Disinformation”.
The event, which will be attended by editors, journalists and other media professionals and leaders of the NUJ is expected to exhaustively discuss the press freedom situation in the country and make recommendations on how the deteriorating situation can be checked.