Journalists Face Harassment and Intimidation in Niger State
A disturbing pattern of harassment, intimidation, and abuse of power by Governor Bago has been reported against journalists covering insecurity in Niger State. This report highlights several incidents that have raised serious concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists in the region.
Kidnapping and Questioning of a Journalist
On 31 October 2024, a retired civil servant, Yakubu Dada, and his wife were kidnapped by bandits on the Kontagora-Minna road. The ransom initially demanded was N10 million, which was later increased to N100 million after Mr. Dada’s two other wives sold their home and property to meet the initial amount.
On Wednesday, 7 May, during the commissioning of the permanent North-Central Zonal Office Complex of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in Minna, Ibrahim Ndamitso, a freelance journalist with the BBC, asked the governor what the state was doing to rescue Mr. Dada from the bandits. The governor, angered by the question, accused Mr. Ndamitso of working with the bandits, claiming he could not have known about the kidnapping if he were not involved.
Many national newspapers reported the story, but the governor claimed he was unaware of the kidnapping and directed the commissioner of police to take the journalist into custody and profile him.
Threats and Intimidation
Mr. Ndamitso explained that the police requested personal details, including phone numbers, address, account numbers, and date of birth, which he provided because he had nothing to hide. However, the governor later directed the commissioner of police to bring Mr. Ndamitso to his office, where he repeated his accusations and made threatening remarks.
The governor stated that Mr. Ndamitso was reckless for asking about insecurity and warned that if he continued to track security issues, he could get killed. However, when the commissioner of police tried to interject, the governor retracted the statement, saying he did not mean to kill him, but just warning that his life was at risk.
Before the incident, Mr. Ndamitso had been denied access to the state government secretariat, despite being an accredited correspondent at Government House. He believes this was due to his habit of asking critical questions about governance.
Journalist Questioned for Reporting Bandit Attack
On Sunday, 1 December 2024, Governor Bago and his entourage missed their way during a tour of rural communities in the Niger North Senatorial District. They strayed into a terrorists’ enclave on the outskirts of the Igade (Mashegu LGA) and Bangi (Mariga LGA) axis.
Prestige FM first reported the incident in Minna in December 2024. A few hours after the report was aired on the radio station by Yakubu Bina, a freelance journalist with the radio station, operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) raided the station’s premises in search of Mr. Bina, but missed him. The secret police later invited the journalist for questioning.
Radio Station Shut Down and Demolition
On 1 August, the governor ordered Badeggi Radio 90.1 FM in Minna to be shut down and have its license revoked. In a viral video, the governor accused the radio station and its owner, Shuaibu Badeggi, of inciting violence and fuelling insecurity in the state.
The station manager, Aisha Shuaibu-Badeggi, stated that they had no issues with the state government before the governor’s outburst. She could not understand the governor’s anger against reporting insecurity in the state.
Press Freedom Violations in Nigeria
The CJID’s 2024 Openness Index ranked Niger 11th in the enablement of press freedom and civic space in Nigeria. However, there is a significant area of concern in the “Gender Factors” metric, where the state scored 46.36 per cent.
Niger is one of the 16 states that have not domesticated the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act or enacted similar transparency mechanisms. The Supreme Court ruled in April that the federal FOI Act applied to all states and local governments in Nigeria.
Legal Actions and Responses
Badeggi FM filed a lawsuit against the Niger State governor and the Niger State Urban Development Board at the State High Court, praying the court to halt the government’s implementation of the governor’s orders until the case is decided. The court issued an interim injunction restraining the state government and its agents from taking any further action against the radio station.
SERAP and NGE also filed a lawsuit against Governor Bago and the NBC over “the ongoing intimidation” of Badeggi FM Radio in Minna, along with the threat to shut down the station.
Conclusion
The situation in Niger State highlights the challenges faced by journalists in reporting on security issues. The actions of the governor have raised serious concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists in the region. The legal actions taken by media outlets and human rights organizations reflect the growing awareness of these issues and the need for accountability.
