 has condemned the arrest and continued harassment of journalist and publisher, Azuka Ogujiuba.){kind=link}
The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has condemned the arrest and continued harassment of journalist and publisher, Azuka Ogujiuba, by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
In a statement jointly signed by Fidelis Mbah, Deputy President of IPI Nigeria, and Tobi Soniyi, the institute’s Legal Adviser and Chairman of Advocacy Committee, the group expressed outrage over what it described as the unlawful detention and intimidation of Ogujiuba.
The victim is the publisher of Media Room Hub and a former journalist with ThisDay newspapers.
Ogujiuba, according to the institute, has been targeted by the police while covering a land dispute case.
Despite living and working in Lagos, IPI said she had repeatedly been summoned to Abuja, arrested and detained.
IPI Nigeria said such actions amount to deliberate attempts to silence her for performing her professional duties.
The organisation warned that the heavy-handed tactics of the police not only erode public trust in the rule of law but also constitute a direct violation of Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
IPI Nigeria demanded that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, immediately halt the harassment of Ogujiuba and allow any allegations against her to be handled strictly through due process in court.
The body further cautioned that if the harassment continues, it may be forced to include the Inspector-General in its “Book of Infamy,” a public record of individuals and institutions identified as violators of press freedom in Nigeria.
Reaffirming its solidarity with Ogujiuba and other journalists who face intimidation, IPI Nigeria called on the Nigerian government to uphold its responsibility to protect press freedom.