OCTOBER 11, 2005 Posted October 17, 2005 Owei Kobina Sikpi, Weekly Star IMPRISONED Sikpi, publisher of the tabloid Weekly Star, was arrested by Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) in the southern city of Port Harcourt, and held without charge, the paper’s editor, Obinna Ahiaidu told CPJ. He said the arrest was over an article that…
New York, August 26, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed outrage at a raid by the State Security Service (SSS) on the Lagos-based weekly The Exclusive. Fourteen SSS agents raided the tabloid’s offices on August 19 and confiscated over 200 copies of its latest edition. They also detained and harassed vendors of the newspaper, local…
JUNE 30, 2005 Posted: July 7, 2005 Haruna Acheneje, The Punch HARASSED State Security Service (SSS) agents arrested Acheneje, a correspondent in Nigeria’s southern Akwa Ibom State for the independent daily The Punch, at his office. The agents detained and questioned Acheneje for about eight hours before releasing him without charge.
New York, June 24, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the actions of police in Nigeria’s central Kogi State, where officers have occupied the local chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, harassed local journalists, and detained the local union chairman, according to local journalists and the Lagos-based press freedom group Media Rights…
JUNE 20, 2005 Posted: June 30, 2005 Nigerian Union of Journalists Segun Omolehin, Nigerian Union of Journalists Wole Ayodele, VanguardIsiaka Oyibo, The Daily Times HARASSED Police officers in Nigeria’s central Kogi State occupied the local chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), harassed local journalists, and detained the local union chairman, according to local…
New York, May 5, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned this week’s arrest of a newspaper publisher, who was charged with criminal libel after his publication accused First Lady Stella Obasanjo of corruption. Omo-Ojo Orobosa, publisher of the weekly Midwest Herald, has been held since Monday, his lawyer, Festus Keyamo, told CPJ. Orobosa was…
MAY 2, 2005 Updated: May 26, 2005 Omo-Ojo Orobosa, Midwest Herald LEGAL ACTION, IMPRISONED Omo-Ojo Orobosa, publisher of the weekly Midwest Herald, was imprisoned for more than two weeks and accused of sedition after his publication accused First Lady Stella Obasanjo of corruption. His lawyer, Festus Keyamo, told CPJ that Orobosa was arrested at the…
Overviewby Julia Crawford With the rule of law weak in many African countries, journalists regularly battle threats and harassment, not only from governments but also from rogue elements, such as militias. Repressive legislation is used in many countries to silence journalists who write about sensitive topics such as corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses. If…
Nigeria A year after President Olusegun Obasanjo was re-elected to a second term, this oil-rich West African country continued to struggle with widespread corruption and civil conflict. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, more than three-quarters of Nigeria’s 130 million people live in poverty. While press freedom has improved since the presidential election of 1999…