Nigeria / Africa

  

Attacks on the Press: Killed in 2012: A Worldwide Roundup

  Killed in 2012: A Worldwide Roundup The number of journalists killed in the line of duty rose sharply in 2012, as the war in Syria, a record number of shootings in Somalia, continued violence in Pakistan, and a worrying increase in Brazilian murders contributed to a 49 percent increase in deaths from the previous…

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Attacks on the Press: Journalism and Religion

Editors think twice, reporters do not dig deeply, columnists choose words carefully. By Jean-Paul Marthoz

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Health care workers gather to administer polio vaccines in Nigeria. (AP/George Osodi)

Nigerian journalists charged for criticizing polio campaign

Abuja, Nigeria, February 13, 2013–Authorities in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano should drop the criminal charges filed on Tuesday against two radio journalists who have been detained since Sunday in connection with their criticism of local officials’ handling of a polio vaccination campaign, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Three journalists briefly detained in Nigeria

Four men in plainclothes claiming to be police officers briefly detained three journalists inside an office of a college in Aka Offot, a suburb of Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state, on February 6, 2013, according to local journalists and news reports. The journalists were reporting on allegations of mismanagement at the federal government-run…

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In Nigeria, soldiers attack journalist covering demolition

Two soldiers beat Laolu Harolds, assistant editor of the daily Nigerian Tribune, on January 8, 2013, while he attempted to take pictures of soldiers demolishing local shops in Oyo state, according to news reports. The soldiers were affiliated with the government’s demolition task force team, the reports said.

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Unidentified assailants shoot dead a Nigerian editor

Abuja, Nigeria, January 15, 2013–Nigerian authorities should determine the motive behind the murder of an editor on Saturday and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Musa Muhammad Awwal, left, and Aliyu Saleh were held illegally for more than one week. (Al-Mizan)

Nigerian journalists freed, but equipment still held

New York, January 2, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) to return laptops and cell phones confiscated from two journalists who were illegally detained for more than a week without charge.

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This cover story led to the arrest of two journalists in Nigeria. (Al-Mizan)

Journalists detained in Nigeria for more than two days

Abuja, Nigeria, December 26, 2012–Nigerian authorities must immediately release two journalists who have been detained since Monday and allow a third journalist who has fled into hiding to return to his home and work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In pre-dawn raids on Monday, about 40 armed security agents arrested Aliyu Saleh,…

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(Ozioma Ubabukoh)

Nigerian reporter stopped from filing on governor’s health

Abuja, Nigeria, December 18, 2012–State security agents in Southeast Nigeria blocked a reporter from filing a story Saturday evening about the status of a governor who hasn’t been seen for several months. The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned this act of crude censorship. At about 11:30 p.m. local time Saturday, seven plainclothes men accosted…

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Journalist deaths spike in 2012 due to Syria, Somalia

Syrian violence contributed to a sharp rise in the number of journalists killed for their work in 2012, as did a series of murders in Somalia. The dead include a record proportion of journalists who worked online. A CPJ special report

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