Amnesty International demands probe into police assault on journalists during 7 April protest

Amnesty International Nigeria has urged the federal government to launch an independent investigation into the assault of two journalists during the Take It Back movement’s 7 April protest in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The protest, held on Monday in multiple states, was organised to demand an end to bad governance and clampdowns on free speech.

Protesters called for the repeal of the Cybercrime Act 2024, the reinstatement of suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and a halt to ongoing demolitions in poor communities across the country.

Police assault on journalists

In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International Nigeria Director Isa Sanusi condemned the assault on Charles Oporum of Channels Television and Ikezam Godswill of Africa Independent Television (AIT).

He said the journalists were harassed and assaulted by police officers who sought to prevent them from reporting on the protest.

Mr Sanusi added that officers fired live rounds and tear gas, confiscated equipment, and forced journalists at gunpoint to delete footage.

“Journalists and photographers covering the protest were clearly identifiable as media staff. Some reported being subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault by the police,” he said.

He warned that such incidents were becoming alarmingly routine, adding: “Viciously targeting journalists for simply doing their job is part of a wider attempt by the Nigerian authorities to muzzle dissent. These actions violate international human rights law and Nigeria’s own constitution.”

Defiance against police warning

On the eve of the protest, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) expressed concern over the timing and motive of the demonstration.

In a Facebook statement, the Force said it was aware of the planned protests by the Take It Back Movement, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory.

Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi noted that the protest coincided with National Police Day—a government-sanctioned event to honour police officers nationwide.

He said while citizens have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, holding a protest on such a day raises questions about the organisers’ intentions.

“The Nigeria Police Force is deeply concerned about the motive behind such a protest scheduled on the same day the contributions of the Nigeria Police Force to national security are to be celebrated,” Mr Adejobi stated.

He described the protest as “ill-timed and mischievous,” suggesting it was a calculated attempt to discredit the police.

Reacting, Omoyele Sowore, the movement’s founder and former presidential candidate, rejected the police’s claims.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, he accused the police of trying to divert public attention from allegations involving the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

“It is the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of ILLEGAL Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, that should reconsider their program,” Mr Sowore wrote.

The protest was held in some states and Abuja on Monday, in defiance to the police warning.

Not the first time

The attack in Port Harcourt is the latest in a troubling pattern of police brutality against journalists in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that at least 31 journalists have faced police brutality in recent years.

Reporters Without Borders, in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, noted rising attacks on journalists during protests and elections in Nigeria.

The Press Attack Tracker, a civic tool by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, has documented similar cases, including attacks during the #EndBadGovernance protests, where journalists narrowly escaped death after police opened fire on protesters and media personnel at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has also raised the alarm over the issue. At the recent Civic Space Guard Conference in Abuja, the centre’s CEO, Motunrayo Alaka, said that over 70 per cent of attacks on journalists are perpetrated by police and political actors.

“It’s an aberration when institutions responsible for protecting the law and ensuring free elections are also responsible for harassing journalists,” she said, citing findings from the upcoming 2023 Journalism and Civic Space Research report.

Amnesty International has called for perpetrators to be held accountable and for the government to uphold press freedom and the right to protest peacefully.