The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have urged the Federal Government, state governors, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to protect journalists and act on rising insecurity and human rights violations in Benue, Borno, Kwara, Plateau, and Sokoto states. Their call followed a joint conference 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, to mark World Press Freedom Day. In a statement, SERAP and NGE said protecting journalists and information integrity are vital to peace, security, and democratic stability. They stressed that credible security strategies must include support for free, independent, and pluralistic media.
The groups cited reports of thousands killed and millions displaced due to killings, abductions, sexual violence, and property destruction in northern Nigeria. Rural communities, women, and children are disproportionately affected. They attributed the crisis to systemic failures in prevention, protection, investigation, and prosecution. These violations, they said, breach Nigeria's obligations under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The humanitarian impact includes destroyed communities, lost livelihoods, and victims without remedies.
SERAP and NGE said authorities at all levels must uphold constitutional and international duties to prevent and remedy human rights abuses. They highlighted UNESCO's 2026 World Press Freedom Day theme, "Shaping a Future of Peace," as affirmation of media's role in peace and development. Targeting journalists, they warned, enables corruption, weakens accountability, and spreads misinformation. Section 22 of the Constitution mandates media accountability, while Section 39 guarantees freedom of expression. The groups called for press freedom, protection of civic space, ethical reporting, and official recognition of killings and abductions as grave human rights violations.
SERAP and NGE demand action on insecurity while highlighting that journalists face risks in regions where thousands have already been killed and millions displaced. The same northern states where reporting is most dangerous are also where state failure in protection and justice is most evident. If the media cannot operate safely in crisis zones, accountability for ongoing violence becomes impossible. Victims in Benue, Borno, Plateau, and elsewhere are left without voice or remedy.
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