The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has released its latest report on the state of press freedom and civic space in Nigeria, revealing that Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Kano State recorded the highest number of violations against journalists and civic actors in 2024.
The report titled “Shrinking Freedoms: 2024 Journalism and Civic Space Report” was unveiled in Lagos on Tuesday as part of the Centre’s continued advocacy for media freedom and democratic accountability.
The findings show a total of 103 violations against media practitioners, activists and civil society organisations in 2024, compared to 134 incidents in 2023.
Despite the slight decline, WSCIJ described the civic space as “fragile, repressive and under sustained attack.”
According to the report, 57 journalists were victims of harassment, arrests, intimidation, assault or unlawful detention in 2024.
Many of the incidents, the report noted, occurred during coverage of public protests, political activities, and reports exposing corruption or abuse of power.
In her opening remarks, the Executive Director of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, said the continued attacks on journalists and civic actors signal a dangerous pattern of intolerance for dissent and shrinking democratic space.
“No democracy can thrive when voices of accountability are silenced,” she added.
The report identified the Nigeria Police Force as the institution most frequently implicated in civic space violations, often through arbitrary arrests and the use of the Cybercrime Act and other outdated criminal laws to clamp down on free expression.
The key hotbeds of violations were:
• Lagos highest cases of harassment and arrests of journalists during protests and investigative work
• FCT (Abuja) – targeted clampdown on activists and media professionals during political coverage
• Kano – increasing intimidation of journalists and civil society actors linked to political reporting.
WSCIJ called on the Federal Government and state authorities to:
• Uphold constitutional rights to freedom of expression and press freedom
• Review and amend repressive laws, including sections of the Cybercrime Act
• Establish accountability mechanisms within security agencies
• Protect journalists and civic actors from abuse and politically motivated attacks
The Centre also urged media organisations to strengthen safety protocols for reporters covering sensitive assignments.
