The International Press Centre has raised concern over what it calls a continuous clampdown on press freedom in Nigeria. In a statement released on Tuesday, the centre said its monitoring for the first half of 2025 revealed a disturbing pattern of harassment, detention and violence against journalists across the country.
Among the incidents cited was the prolonged detention of Tekena Amieyeofori, a former AIT journalist in Port Harcourt, by the Department of State Services. He was reportedly arrested over a corruption investigation involving the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. In Kwara state, investigative journalist Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed remains in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ilorin, allegedly for condemning violence against protesters.
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The statement also highlighted the killing of Ayo Aiyepekun, a photojournalist with Inside Story in Lokoja, who was murdered on 22nd July. The IPC described these cases as evidence of growing threats to press freedom under the current administration.
Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the IPC, condemned what he described as the erosion of journalists’ constitutional rights and called for thorough investigations. The organisation urged federal and state authorities to end the culture of impunity and reaffirmed its commitment to defending a free press as a pillar of democracy.
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