Nigeria’s press freedom environment remains under significant pressure, with journalists and other citizens facing arrests, harassment, intimidation and other restrictions on civic participation.
A 2025 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism documented 245 verified civic-space violations between January and December 2025, based on systematic monitoring of reports from 54 media organisations.
The report, titled Silenced Voices, Shrinking Space: Civic Freedoms Under Pressure, found that state actors were involved in 219 of the 245 incidents, with the Nigeria Police Force linked to 118 of those cases.
The violations covered more than attacks on journalists alone. They included restrictions affecting citizens, journalists and broader democratic participation, with arrests, detention, harassment and other administrative, legal and institutional measures among the documented forms of infringement.
The report recorded 145 non-violent incidents, representing 59.2 per cent of the total. Arrests accounted for 49 of those cases, while detention accounted for 21 and harassment for 15.
The findings also highlighted difficult working conditions for journalists, with stakeholders raising concerns about threats from state actors, politicians and political party agents.
Participants at a stakeholder dialogue accompanying the report’s presentation also pointed to low pay, insecure employment and economic dependence within parts of the media industry as factors that can weaken journalists’ ability to resist pressure and report independently.
A separate 2025 annual report by Media Rights Agenda documented 86 incidents involving attacks against journalists, media organisations and freedom of expression rights across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The report recorded arrests and detention as the most common form of violation, with 38 cases. It also documented 21 cases of assault and battery, as well as two killings, one involving a journalist who was killed in the line of duty.
The Nigeria Police Force was identified as the alleged perpetrator in 41 of the 86 cases recorded by Media Rights Agenda, accounting for nearly half of the incidents in its dataset. The organisation also said none of the documented cases resulted in a successful investigation or prosecution of perpetrators.
The wider picture is also reflected in international press freedom assessments. Reporters Without Borders currently describes Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, citing monitoring, attacks and arbitrary arrests. Its 2026 World Press Freedom Index placed Nigeria 112th out of 180 countries, compared with 122nd in 2025.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has similarly documented arrests, attacks and harassment involving journalists in Nigeria. In a 2026 letter to President Bola Tinubu, the organisation said it had documented numerous cases of journalists being detained and mistreated, while also citing data from Nigerian press freedom organisations.
The WSCIJ report warned that the pressure on civic space has implications beyond individual journalists, as restrictions on expression and public participation can weaken accountability and democratic engagement.
