Articles by Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
Security agents raid newsstands, seize publications and arrest vendor
(MRA/IFEX) – On 10 February 2005, agents of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria’s intelligence agency, raided newsstands on Old Market Road, the main distribution centre for the city of Onitsha, in Anambra State. The SSS agents confiscated large quantities of “The News”, “The Source” and “The Week” magazines, as well as copies of “Hallmark” […]
Newspaper publisher arrested over report on police commissioner
(MRA/IFEX) – On 19 January 2005, the Rivers State Police Command arrested Jerry Needam, publisher of the Port Harcourt-based weekly tabloid “National Network”, for publishing reports considered negative to Rivers State Police Commissioner Sylvester Araba. A team of police officers picked up Needam, publisher of the newly established newspaper, on the morning of 19 January […]
Security agents arrest and interrogate three newspaper vendors
(MRA/IFEX) – On 20 January 2005, four State Security Services (SSS) agents raided newsstands in southeastern Enugu state. The security agents arrested the state chairman of the Newspapers Vendors’ Association of Nigeria, Clement Egbuche, and two newspaper vendors, identified as Emeji and Chidinma. The three were arrested for selling copies of the tabloid newspaper “Eastern […]
Police officers assault journalists at political meeting
(MRA/IFEX) – On 4 January 2005, a security team made up of police officers and members of the anti-riot unit, deployed to maintain security at an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, assaulted a number of journalists who were at the party’s secretariat to cover […]
Governor’s security officers assault two journalists
(MRA/IFEX) – On 12 December 2004, policemen assigned to protect the governor of Oyo State (southwestern Nigeria), Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, assaulted two journalists on the orders the governor’s chief security officer. The targeted journalists were AbdulRazak Adebayo, of “Daily Trust” newspaper, and Tunde Sanni, of “ThisDay” newspaper. The incident took place in Ilorin, the Kwara […]
“Time” magazine reporter refused entry into Nigeria
(MRA/IFEX) – On 27 November 2004, Stephan Faris, a reporter with the United States-based news weekly “Time” magazine, was prevented by State Security Service (SSS) agents from entering Nigeria upon his arrival at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. He was later expelled from the country, according to “Time” magazine’s news director, Howard Chua-Eoan. In a […]
BBC correspondent banned by Borno state government
(MRA/IFEX) – On 24 November 2004, the Borno state government in northern Nigeria declared the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Hausa Service correspondent, Alhaji Adamu Mato, a “persona non grata” and banned him from continuing to report from the state following allegations of “incorrect” reporting about the region. The government has banned the correspondent from the […]
Journalist barred from Government House
(MRA/IFEX) – Chris Nsi, Ebonyi State correspondent for the “New Age” newspaper, has been barred indefinitely from entering the grounds of Government House in Abakaliki, the seat of government in the state controlled by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The order to bar Nsi from Government House was reportedly delivered to security operatives attached to […]