PRESS RELEASE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH, 2022: The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF), a National alliance of media and civil society organisations, today condemns the arrest and detention of Sobi FM reporter Dare Akogun and his brother on the 13th of October in Kwara state. 

According to a report, the detention came after a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Tuesday Assayomo, by Rafiu Ajakaye who is the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Kwara state governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He claimed that he had been defamed by a WhatsApp post written by the journalist, accusing him of misappropriation of public funds. Consequent to the refusal of the journalist to tender a written apology to the CPS, he and his brother were arrested and detained without due process.

It is worth noting that the conflict between press freedom in law and practice remains evident in Nigeria, where journalists are tagged as ‘extremists’, criminalised and detained, using legal systems to stifle them whenever they pry into the prevailing bad governance. 

No other industry has been confronted with such a degree of official antagonism, and the effect is felt not only by journalists but also by their audiences, the public that deserves the right to know and access information. 

CWPPF has condemned the detention of Dare Akogun and his brother and demands their immediate release. 

We shall continue to take the necessary measures to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, and we will also fiercely demand accountability and bring perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers to justice. 

The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) is a group of media and civil society organisations committed to upholding democracy and good governance by protecting the ethos of whistleblowing, freedom of expression and press freedom.

CWPPF Members

Premium Times

OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative

The Cable

Daily Trust Newspaper

Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism

Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

Civic Media Lab

Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC)

International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)

International Press Centre (IPC)

International Press Institute, Nigeria

Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)

Paradigm Initiative

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)

HEDA Resources Centre

Prepared By Pauline Olorunyomi