IPC Safety, Protection Hub For Journalists Kicks Against Police Harassments

…. Wants Police Understanding Of Journalists Roles During Emergencies 

By Joseph Sunday 

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The Safety and Protection of Journalists Hub of the International Press Centre, IPC, has kicked against the harassments and brutality of journalists most especially during emergencies duties.

The arm of the IPC also called for better  understanding by the Police authorities and other security agencies on the roles of media men during emergency situations in the Country.

Details made available to newsmen by the Press Freedom Officer for the International Press Centre, IPC, Melody Akinjiyan, revealed that, the SPJ- Hub frowned and totally condemned the brutality of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) by police officers at Ikeja Police Command in Lagos, while performing his duty on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Information of the Police unwarranted brutality collated by the IPC-SPJ Hub, describes the inhumane treatment of the Nigeria Police Force, who physically and mentally assaulted Daniel Ojukwu, while he was at the police station to meet with the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) and then obtained details of policemen who had extorted money from detainees.

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“When he approached the Squad 1 office to ask to see the accused officers, three policemen pounced on him, seized his phone and began going through it,” the information revealed.

The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said, “This incessant action or excessive use of force against Daniel Ojukwu is very dangerous to our democracy and a major threat to press freedom. Such acts of brutality also violate the fundamental human rights of the journalist”. 

Daniel Ojukwu’s glasses were shattered, his wristwatch was ripped off, his phone damaged, and he also suffered body injuries of various kinds during the unfortunate incident.

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We urged the men of the Nigerian Police Force to be mindful of events around the world and not continually create an environment where journalists will be afraid to work and discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.

IPC-SPJ therefore calls on Benjamin Hundeyin, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) to fulfill his promise of looking into the footage of the CCTV and get to the root of the incident. 

The Police should take adequate and swift measures to bring to book those who violated the journalist while putting in place machinery to compensate Daniel Ojukwu for this inhumane treatment.

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We also call on the Nigeria Police Force to step up the training of its officers to be more respectful and courteous while discharging their duties. They should be reminded constantly that the primary responsibility of the Police is the protection of citizens, including journalists and every other civilian.

In  a related development, SPJ-Hub is calling for better understanding of the role of journalists during emergencies to avoid the kind of incident that occurred between the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railways Corporation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa and an editor with NTA who is also a former president of NAWOJ, Ms. Ladi Bala following the disruption of rail services between Abuja and Kaduna due to a crash. 

Ms. Bala told IPC that she was verbally abused and threatened by Mr. Opeifa who in turn informed IPC that he has offered a verbal apology over the matter.

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“Emergency situations would always occur and public officials must always be willing to accommodate journalists’ thirst for credible information at such moments. 

“In such circumstance the public interest dictates that those in authority and security agencies should cooperate with journalists, patiently explain any security concerns and generally refrain from comments or gestures that may be interpreted as threats”, Mr. Arogundade submitted. 

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