Group Calls for Action After Police Attack on Abuja Journalist

The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) on Thursday urged the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command to look into the attack on Sunday Ogwu, the Editor of Pinnacle Daily. This incident happened in Lugbe, Abuja.

The coalition described the attack on Mr Ogwu as "unprovoked brutality" and "lawlessness" by officers from the Lugbe Police Division, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Uchenna. The statement from the coalition, signed by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), called the situation "deeply unsettling and unacceptable."

"Documenting public operations carried out by state agents is a constitutionally protected right, not a criminal offence. It is worrying that police officers, who are supposed to maintain law and order, would use electric cables to beat a journalist for doing his job," the statement said.

This followed a report that confirmed police officers from the Lugbe division flogged Mr Ogwu and broke his phone while he was recording a demolition exercise. Mr Ogwu said he saw the demolition while taking an evening stroll in Lugbe, which is less than 20 minutes from Abuja city center.

"The operation involved about four Hilux patrol vans marked 'Lugbe Police Division' along with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), easily recognized by their brown outfits and logos," the coalition’s statement noted.

When Mr Ogwu pulled out his phone to record, a police officer took it from him even after he identified himself as a journalist. The officers then tried to arrest him along with local youths. When he refused, insisting he was a journalist, the officers beat him with an electric cable “on the instruction of the officer in charge for non-compliance.”

They later released Mr Ogwu but flogged him again and broke his phone when he tried to record the incident from 100 meters away. The officer in charge claimed the first flogging was not enough. This led to physical injuries for Mr Ogwu.

The coalition, made up of journalism organizations like PREMIUM TIMES and civil society groups focused on media freedom, said the attack on Mr Ogwu damages the credibility of police leadership. They stated, "the unlawful attack on Mr Ogwu by CSP Uchenna and his team severely damages Nigeria’s standing on the global press freedom index and contradicts public assurances by police leadership about respecting human rights and press freedom."

They also said, "we firmly reiterate that journalism is not a crime and that the press has the duty to hold public institutions accountable as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution."

The group condemned the "violent physical assault, harassment, unlawful seizure, and destruction of working tools of Sunday Ogwu, Editor of Pinnacle Daily, by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, led by the DPO of the Lugbe Police Division and members of the VGN." They demanded compensation for Mr Ogwu.

“Provide full compensation to Mr Ogwu for his damaged mobile phone and cover all medical expenses incurred due to the physical assault. Also, issue a formal public apology to Sunday Michael Ogwu and the management of Pinnacle Daily for the unlawful attack and destruction of property,” the statement said.

“This unlawful attack on Mr Ogwu by CSP Uchenna and his team severely damages Nigeria’s standing on the global press freedom index and contradicts public assurances by police leadership regarding respect for human rights and press freedom,” they added.

This recent event is another setback for media independence in Nigeria. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Nigeria ranks 112th in the World Press Freedom Index, with a global score of 46.81.

It also adds to the growing list of harassment that police have directed at journalists. On 3 July, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Stanley Ugabe, a journalist with an online news platform, was taken from his home in Jikwoyi, Abuja, for an investigation published by his organization.

CJID’s Press Attack Tracker (PAT West Africa) has also recorded a series of attacks on the press under Mr Egbetokun’s leadership, including over 45 journalists who have been attacked and unlawfully detained.

In April, IGP Mr Disu promised to stop impunity, especially by police officers, in Nigeria. A month later, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Ahmed Sanusi, also pledged the police’s commitment to uphold human rights.

Yet, this recent incident makes a mockery of that promise. The coalition demanded that “all police divisions across the FCT immediately stop the intimidation, harassment, and physical assault of journalists covering public events.”

The CWPPF includes 33 organizations such as Premium Times, Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation, Daily Trust Newspaper, ICIR, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), CJID, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Civic Media Lab, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), and International Press Centre (IPC).