Security Agencies Target Journalists Covering Press Conference on #EndBadGovernance Protest Victims
In Kano State, security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), have launched a crackdown on journalists who covered a press conference organized by the parents of victims killed during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests. The protests, which highlighted Nigeria’s issues with bad governance, economic hardship, and police brutality, have now led to tensions as security forces target media outlets that reported on the tragic stories of victims’ families.
The press conference, held on Monday by the Victims Support Initiative Nigeria (VSIN), saw grieving families demand accountability for the deaths of their loved ones, who were allegedly killed by security forces during the protests. The families called on the Nigerian government to take responsibility for the loss of innocent lives and provide justice and compensation.
Among the victims was Malam Yahya Ibrahim, whose five-year-old son was tragically killed by a stray bullet while playing in their compound. Ibrahim tearfully appealed to President Bola Tinubu to initiate an independent investigation into the killings and bring those responsible to justice. “Some of our sons and daughters were not even part of the protest but were killed because of excessive force used by the police. We are ready to provide all the information and evidence,” he said.
VSIN’s coordinator, Fatima Yusuf, joined in the call for an independent judicial panel to investigate the police actions and provide compensation to the victims’ families. Yusuf emphasized that these families deserved justice, not silence, for the loss of their loved ones during peaceful protests.
However, in the aftermath of the press conference, security personnel have been targeting journalists who reported on the event. One journalist revealed that DSS agents visited their radio station, inquiring about the organizers of the press conference and seeking the identities of the families who spoke out. “They were asking us about the organisers of the press conference and the details of the parents who spoke at the press conference,” the journalist shared.
The crackdown on journalists has raised concerns about press freedom and the government’s efforts to suppress information surrounding police brutality. The families of victims, now speaking out for justice, are being met with increasing pressure as security agencies look to control the narrative.
Meanwhile, human rights activists, including Omoyele Sowore, have questioned the motives behind the police’s crackdown on organizations like Amnesty International, which reported on the use of excessive force by the police during the protests. Sowore has also called out the double standards in the police’s treatment of human rights groups, urging the authorities to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
Amnesty International’s report on the killings during the protests claims that at least 24 people were killed by police using live ammunition, with some victims shot at close range, while others suffocated from teargas. The report also noted that the actual death toll could be higher due to efforts to cover up the atrocities.
As the crackdown on journalists intensifies and the families continue to demand justice, the call for accountability grows louder, with many fearing that the government is more focused on suppressing the truth than addressing the issues raised by the protests. The ongoing tension underscores the ongoing struggle for justice for those killed during the #EndBadGovernance protests and the challenges of holding law enforcement accountable in a climate of suppression.
