SERAP, NGE call for protection of journalists, end to insecurity, impunity
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have called on the Federal Government, state governors, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to protect journalists and urgently address worsening insecurity and human rights violations across several parts of northern Nigeria, including Benue, Borno, Kwara, Plateau, and Sokoto states.
The call followed a conference and interactive session on “the Role of the Media in Promoting People’s Rights, Accountability, and Access to Justice in the Context of Growing Insecurity in Nigeria” held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, jointly organised by SERAP and NGE to mark World Press Freedom Day. In a joint statement, the groups said “protecting journalists and safeguarding information integrity are central drivers of peace, security, and democratic stability.”
They added that “any credible peace, recovery, or security strategy in Nigeria must integrate support for free, independent, and pluralistic media alongside humanitarian, institutional, and economic responses.” They expressed “serious concerns about the scale and persistence of killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced displacement, and destruction of property across several parts of northern Nigeria,” noting that “thousands have reportedly been killed and millions displaced, with rural communities repeatedly targeted and women and children bearing the brunt of the violence and insecurity.”
According to them, “these patterns reflect systemic failures to prevent foreseeable harm, protect communities, investigate violations, prosecute perpetrators and their sponsors, and ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims,” adding that “such grave violations constitute serious breaches of Nigeria’s obligations under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.”
They warned that “the humanitarian consequences remain severe: communities destroyed, livelihoods lost, and victims left without effective remedies,” stressing that “the persistence of impunity continues to erode public trust and weaken democratic governance.”
SERAP and NGE stated that Nigerian authorities at all levels have binding constitutional and international obligations to protect journalists and end insecurity and impunity, adding that the Tinubu administration, state governors, and the FCT minister must exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, and remedy human rights violations, while ensuring justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators and their sponsors.
