Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has documented 86 incidents of attacks on journalists, media organisations and citizens across Nigeria in 2025, warning that the country’s freedom of expression environment is deteriorating amid what it described as a “reign of impunity.”
In a statement issued on Thursday by the MRA’s Communication Officer, Idowu Adewale, said the findings are contained in MRA’s 2025 Annual Report on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, released on Thursday in Lagos. Titled The Reign of Impunity, the 147-page report covers violations recorded across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with no single case resulting in a successful investigation or prosecution, even where criminal offences were involved.
According to the report, arrests and detentions were the most common forms of violation, with 38 cases, accounting for over 44 per cent of all incidents documented in 2025.
Physical violence followed closely, with 21 cases of assault and battery, representing more than 24 per cent of reported attacks.
The report also recorded two killings—one involving a journalist killed in the line of duty and another involving a woman murdered over alleged blasphemy—alongside one case of kidnapping and the shutdown of a media outlet.
Security agencies fingered
MRA identified the Nigeria Police Force as the worst offender, responsible for 41 incidents, nearly 48% of all documented violations. The Department of State Services (DSS) was listed as the second-highest perpetrator, accounting for about 7% of the cases.
Combined, the two agencies were responsible for more than half of all recorded attacks against journalists and violations of freedom of expression in 2025.
Geographically, Lagos State and the FCT recorded the highest number of incidents, with 16 and 14 cases, respectively.
The report highlighted what it described as the continued “weaponisation” of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended, to target journalists and critics of government, particularly online.
It also noted the growing use of digital surveillance tools and spyware to monitor, intimidate and track journalists, describing this trend as a major threat to media freedom in the digital space.
Beyond direct attacks, MRA said security agencies frequently failed to intervene in assaults by non-state actors, even when present at the scene. In some cases, the report noted, journalists were deliberately targeted while covering protests and demonstrations that were violently dispersed.
‘Gravest threat to media freedom’
In a preface to the report, MRA’s Executive Director, Edetaen Ojo, said the media sector continued to face political, legal, economic and social pressures, despite rapid changes driven by digital technologies.
He warned that the “culture of impunity remains one of the gravest threats to media freedom in Nigeria,” emboldening perpetrators and fostering fear and self-censorship within the media community.
MRA urged the Federal Government to ensure that all attacks against journalists and citizens are promptly and transparently investigated, with outcomes made public.
The organisation also called on authorities to direct security agencies to desist from harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of journalists and citizens exercising their right to free expression, especially online.
MRA recommended the establishment of a national framework dedicated to the protection of journalists, including early-warning systems and rapid response mechanisms in line with the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists.
