By Faridat Salifu
On 2 November each year UNESCO leads the global observance of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, a day proclaimed by the UNGA in 2013 after the killing of two French reporters in Mali.
The day is a reminder that attacks on journalists whether killings, assaults, arbitrary detention, or intimidation damage societies’ ability to receive vital information.
Since 2006 UNESCO has recorded more than 1,700 journalists killed worldwide and monitors estimate that roughly 85% of those killings remain unresolved.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other watchdogs say counts rose sharply in 2024 and remain alarmingly high in 2025 as conflicts and targeted attacks continue to put reporters in lethal danger.
Nigeria faces its own catalogue of threats to media workers, from arrests under cybercrime laws to physical attacks, robberies and fatal violence linked to both conflict reporting and criminality.
In Lagos and the south-west, reporters have been harassed, detained, and in some cases killed; civil society groups continue to press for investigations into unresolved deaths going back years.
In Abuja and the federal capital area, media houses and individual journalists have reported raids, surveillance and intimidation by security agencies, prompting calls for judicial oversight and legal reform.
In the Niger Delta and south-south, reporters covering oil theft, environmental destruction and land disputes face threats from both state and non-state actors, while impunity for attacks remains common in many cases.
In the north-east and parts of the north, conflict with insurgent groups has led to journalists being killed while covering attacks and security operations, and some cases remain unresolved.
High-profile recent incidents in Nigeria that have driven concern include the abduction and detention of investigative reporter Daniel Ojukwu in May 2024 under cybercrime provisions, which drew criticism from Human Rights Watch and other groups.
Campaigns by the Committee to Protect Journalists and others continue to demand justice for reporters whose deaths remain unexplained, including the still-unsolved killing of Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi, whose case CPJ has highlighted.
National media-rights groups and press unions such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists have documented dozens of attacks, arrests and violations against journalists in recent years and use days like these to call for accountability.
Monitoring groups operating in Nigeria recorded a rise in assaults, raids and detentions in 2023–2024, with the International Press Centre and partner organisations documenting dozens of incidents across states.
Reporters Without Borders and RSF have repeatedly condemned the use of detention and legal instruments to silence investigative reporting, and have urged authorities to stop weaponising laws against journalists.
Legal gaps and slow, ineffective investigations contribute to a climate of impunity that allows perpetrators to act without fear of prosecution.
Women journalists in Nigeria report high levels of online harassment and targeted abuse in addition to physical threats, mirroring global trends that make online safety a core part of newsroom protection.
Freelancers, local radio reporters and community correspondents are especially vulnerable because they often lack institutional protection and resources for legal defence and security training.
Environmental and agribusiness reporters covering land grabs, illegal mining, livestock conflicts or climate finance have faced intimidation and legal threats when investigations expose powerful interests.
To address impunity in Nigeria stakeholders recommend immediate and concrete actions including independent, time-bound investigations into killings and attacks; reform of laws that criminalise journalism; and the establishment of a victims’ support fund for injured and threatened media workers.
Press freedom organisations also urge the government to adopt transparent case-tracking and to work with international monitors when necessary to ensure credible prosecutions.
Newsrooms are being asked to prioritise safety training, digital security for reporters (especially women), and to provide legal and psychosocial support to colleagues under threat.
On this day civil society groups, unions and media bodies across Nigeria will hold events and produce statements calling for justice for victims and systemic reform.
For reporters in the field, practical safety steps include risk assessments before assignments, secure communications, backup plans, and clear protocols for reporting attacks to unions and rights groups.
As Nigeria marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the central question remains whether authorities will convert rhetoric into verifiable action that ends the default of impunity.
If prosecutions and protections do not follow, the cycle of silence will continue to cost lives and erode the public’s right to know. follow, the cycle of silence will continue to cost lives and erode the public’s right to know.