The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has condemned the violent assault on a journalist, Mr. Uchechukwu Olebara, by operatives of the Imo State Environmental Monitoring and Compliance Unit, calling it another disturbing sign of state-backed hostility against the press.
Olebara, a broadcaster with Radio Maria 106.7 FM in Owerri, was reportedly attacked on Monday, October 13, 2025, while driving past a demolition site at New Owerri Roundabout. According to CJID, the journalist—popularly known as “Cool DJ Blaze”—was beaten and his car vandalised after identifying himself as a journalist to the operatives.
“A mob of operatives descended on his car, attacking it with machetes, stones and clubs. They smashed his windows, mirrors and headlamps, forcing him to flee for his life,” CJID said in a statement released on Friday.
The statement, signed by Busola Ajibola, CJID’s Deputy Director for Journalism Programmes, described the assault as a “vicious attack on press freedom” that reflects a climate of impunity under Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration.
In a troubling twist, the governor’s Special Assistant on Monitoring and Compliance, Mr. Chinasa Nwaneri—who oversees the unit—reportedly justified the assault, accusing Olebara of operating an “illegal taxi service” rather than acknowledging his identity as a journalist.
CJID dismissed Nwaneri’s claim as a “baseless attempt to deflect responsibility,” insisting that even if a citizen had violated traffic laws, “the legal response is a citation, not mob violence or the destruction of property.”
The organisation also criticised the response of local police, who allegedly advised Olebara to “settle with the SA” after he reported the assault. “This shows a terrifying level of collusion between law enforcement and political enforcers,” CJID said.
The attack, the group added, mirrors a pattern of repression against journalists in Imo State. Citing its Press Attack Tracker, CJID noted several previous incidents, including the January 2024 assault on Newsbreak reporter Kelechi Ugo; threats against Otikpu Newspaper publisher, Anslem Anokwute; and repeated police raids on the Nigerian Watchdog newspaper office.
“These attacks further validate findings from our 2024 Openness Index, where Imo ranks 37th out of 36 states and the FCT, making it one of the least open and most dangerous places for journalists in Nigeria,” the statement read.
CJID demanded that Governor Uzodinma publicly condemn the attack, order an independent investigation into the conduct of the Monitoring and Compliance Unit, and ensure that those involved are prosecuted. The organisation also called for full compensation for Olebara’s destroyed vehicle and medical trauma.
“The Imo State Government must dismantle the apparatus of intimidation and guarantee journalists’ safety. Press freedom is not a privilege—it is a constitutional right essential to Nigeria’s democracy,” the group stated.
CJID reaffirmed its commitment to defending media freedom and warned that continued state-sponsored attacks on journalists “threaten not only free expression but the very foundation of democratic governance.”
