Articles by Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
Reporters assaulted, threatened at gunpoint by police while covering Action Congress party rally
(MRA/IFEX) – On 3 August 2008, three reporters of different independent Nigerian dailies were severely beaten by policemen escorting a politician of the Action Congress (AC), the ruling political party in Lagos state: Mr. Adewale Ajayi of the “Nigerian Tribune”; Mr. Emmanuel Oladesu of “The Nation”; and Ms. Bimbo Ogunnaike of “Nigerian Compass”. The incident […]
Managing director of state-owned newspaper dismissed for writing, publishing article disparaging president
(MRA/IFEX) – On 20 August 2008, Mr. Bashir Sanda Gusau, the Managing Director of “Legacy”, the Zamfara (North Western Nigeria) State-owned newspaper, was sacked for publishing an article the state considered to disparage President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He was immediately replaced with Alhaji Muhammad Sama’ila Gusau. The state Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Danmaliki, in a […]
Journalist assaulted by government-owned oil company manager and security personnel
(MRA/IFEX) – On 20 August 2008, at about 2:50 p.m. (local time), Luka Binniyat, energy beat reporter with the Lagos-based independent daily newspaper, “Vanguard”, was beaten and repeatedly struck with gun butts by security personnel of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Abuja on the orders of Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, its corporate affairs group […]
Unidentified gunmen kill journalist, police involvement suspected
(MRA/IFEX) – On 17 August 2008 at about 10.30 p.m. (local time), Mr. Paul Abayomi Ogundeji, a member of the editorial board of the Lagos-based private daily newspaper “Thisday”, was shot dead in Dopemu, a suburb of Lagos, by yet-to-be identified gunmen. According to the Nigerian Police, while driving home Ogundeji was ambushed by armed […]
“National Standard” magazine’s Lagos office raided by intelligence service
(MRA/IFEX) – On 18 August 2008, six men suspected to be operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria’s intelligence police, raided the Lagos offices of a private weekly, “National Standard” magazine. When MRA visited the offices of the weekly, the security guard who witnessed the raid said the SSS operatives demanded to see the […]
Political editor, deputy editor and marketing manager detained as harassment campaign against “Leadership” newspaper continues
(MRA/IFEX) – On 20 June 2008, Mallam Saidu Sarki Usman, the political editor of the private daily newspaper “Leadership”, based in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, was ordered to be remanded into prison custody. The order was issued by a Chief Magistrate Court presided over by Alhaji Salihu Attahiru in Minna, Niger State, North-central Nigeria. […]
Police raid newspaper seeking arrest of 15 editors, detain deputy editor for six hours, over critical article
(MRA/IFEX) – On 6 May 2008, about a dozen armed, plain-clothed policemen from the Niger State Command (in north-central Nigeria) raided the head office of “Leadership” newspaper in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, and arrested the newspaper’s deputy editor, Danladi Ndayebo, over a feature article published by the paper. The newspaper’s editor, Prince Charles Dickson, told […]
Newspaper editor allegedly targeted for assassination following exposé of government budget scam
(MRA/IFEX) – On 22 April 2008, the Sunday editor of the Lagos-based private “Daily Sun” newspaper, Ms. Funke Egbemode, allegedly received threats to her life from some unidentified members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives for breaking a story of an alleged budget scam in the House and leading the “Sunday Sun” with it for two […]