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Nigeria, Attack on Freedom of the Press: 19 Journalists Arrested This Year

At least 19 journalists were arrested in Nigeria this year in an increasingly aggressive campaign against freedom of the press by Nigerian police, army and military secret services.  

Amnesty International denounced the attack in a long report published on 14 October entitled, “Nigeria: Endangered Voices”.

Receiving and sharing information on activities carried out by institutions, and expressing opinions on government policies has become even more dangerous in Nigeria.

The journalists who work in Abuja and Maiduguri for the newspaper  Daily Trust are familiar with the repercussions. In early 2019, the offices were invaded by security forces that sequestered computers and mobile phones among other things.

The number of  criminal intimidations, attacks and threats are innumerable, especially when journalists “dare” to denounce police brutality.

Kofi Bartels, a journalist with Nigeria Info 92.3 FM, was stopped by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and assaulted. He was arrested and detained for witnessing the police beating a teenager in the city of Port Harcourt.

On 18 September, Mary Ekere, journalist for The Post Newspaper in Akwa Ibom State, was arrested for filming an attack on a street trader.

The complete report, in English, can be downloaded at the following link: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr44/9504/2019/en/

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