On 31 October 2024, a retired civil servant, Yakubu Dada, and his spouse had been kidnapped by bandits on the Kontagora-Minna street. The bandits, who initially demanded N10 million, raised the ransom to N100 million after Mr Dada’s two different wives offered their dwelling and different property to boost the preliminary quantity demanded.
On Wednesday, 7 Could, on the commissioning of the everlasting North‑Central Zonal Workplace Advanced of the Nationwide Centre for the Management of Small Arms and Gentle Weapons (NCCSALW), in Minna, the state capital, Ibrahim Ndamitso, a contract journalist with the BBC, who as of then was a contract reporter for Channels TV, requested the governor what the state was doing to rescue Mr Dada from the bandits.
Angered by Mr Ndamitso’s query, the governor accused him of working with the bandits, saying the journalist couldn’t have recognized in regards to the kidnapping case if he weren’t working with the bandits.
Many nationwide newspapers reported the story, however the governor claimed he was unaware of the kidnapping and directed the commissioner of police to take the journalist into custody and profile him.
“The nationwide dailies already reported the story. It was already public info, so there was nothing particular about it. It wasn’t an intel or so, it was common info,” Mr Ndamitso mentioned in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
“On the police headquarters, they requested some private particulars, together with my telephone numbers, handle, my account numbers, and date of start, and I gave all of them as a result of I’ve nothing to cover. I’ve a official technique of incomes a dwelling. I’ve by no means been concerned in crime, so I made every little thing out there, and that’s all.
Governor threatens
The governor later directed the commissioner of police to deliver Mr Ndamitso to his workplace.
“He met us on the foyer, not inside his workplace. The chief press secretary was there, the commissioner of police, his safety aides and media aides had been additionally there. All he mentioned was a repetition of the issues he had mentioned earlier. He truly mentioned I hated him. He then used some phrases that had been threatening.
“He mentioned I used to be reckless for asking him about insecurity, and if I maintain monitoring safety points, I can get killed. However when the commissioner of police tried to interject, he rapidly retracted the assertion and mentioned he didn’t imply that he would kill me, however simply telling me that my life can be in danger,” Mr Ndamitso instructed this reporter.”
Earlier than the incident, Mr Ndamitso mentioned he had been denied entry to the state authorities secretariat, regardless of being an accredited correspondent at Authorities Home. He believes his entry denial was as a consequence of his at all times asking the governor important questions on governance within the state.
“I at all times ask laborious questions as a result of I imagine that’s the best way to make sure accountability in governance. I’ve at all times been like that. I did the identical with earlier administrations,” Mr Ndamitso recounted.
Mr Ndamitso’s case was one among many incidents of intimidation and harassment of journalists by the governor.
Journalist questioned for reporting bandit assault
On Sunday, 1 December 2024, Governor Bago and his entourage missed their method throughout a tour of rural communities within the Niger North Senatorial District to examine ongoing tasks. They strayed right into a terrorists’ enclave on the outskirts of the Igade (Mashegu LGA) and Bangi (Mariga LGA) axis.
A number of sources, together with these briefed by individuals on the governor’s entourage, instructed PREMIUM TIMES that tragedy virtually befell the crew once they drove right into a terrorists’ enclave whereas heading again to Kontagora.
Status FM first reported the incident in Minna in December 2024. A couple of hours after the report was aired on the radio station by Yakubu Bina, a contract journalist with the radio station, operatives of the State Safety Providers (SSS) raided the station’s premises in quest of Mr Bina, however missed him. The key police later invited the journalist for questioning.
“I went to the SSS workplace round eight within the morning,” Mr Bina instructed PREMIUM TIMES by telephone, including the operatives grilled him for over 5 hours till round 2 p.m.
Mr Bina mentioned he might have been detained however for the intervention of his colleagues on the correspondents’ chapel and the management of the state’s department of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Governor Bago orders shutdown, demolition of Badeggi FM
On 1 August, the governor ordered Badeggi Radio 90.1 FM in Minna to be shut down and have its licence revoked.
In a viral video broadly circulated on the web, the governor was seen accusing the radio station and its proprietor, Shuaibu Badeggi, of inciting violence and fuelling insecurity within the state.
Mr Bago claimed that Mr Badeggi’s utterances had been treasonous. He mentioned his authorities would write to the Minister of Info to formally complain about Mr Badeggi’s alleged “anti-peace” and treasonable incitement of the general public in opposition to the federal government.
He additionally directed the Commissioner of Homeland Safety, Mohammed Bello, and the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, to close the radio station and have safety operatives profile its proprietor.
Finishing up the governor’s directives, officers from the Niger State City Growth Board (NUDB) visited the radio station in Minna on Saturday, 2 August, at roughly 11:36 a.m. and marked it with crimson paint.
After the governor’s clampdown on the radio station was reported by the media, varied media shops and human rights organisations condemned the event as an abuse of state energy and government overreach, calling for the fast reversal of the order.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Growth (CJID), in a press release by its Deputy Director of Journalism Programme, Busola Ajibola, famous that the governor has no constitutional powers to revoke the license of any media organisation, as such powers relaxation solely with the Nationwide Broadcasting Fee (NBC). The NBC is the federal company chargeable for regulating the operations of broadcast media organisations in Nigeria.
Radio Station acquired no official grievance
The supervisor of the radio station, Aisha Shuaibu-Badeggi, later instructed this reporter that it had not but acquired any info from the NBC regarding the governor’s complaints.
She said that the station had no points by any means with the state authorities earlier than the governor’s outburst.
“They’ve by no means logged any grievance in opposition to us about any of our programmes. We imagine we’ve had no issues with the state authorities as we’ve at all times upheld the best rules of our job,” she instructed this reporter.
Mrs Shuaibu-Badeggi couldn’t perceive the governor’s anger in opposition to reporting insecurity within the state.
“When bandits assault any group, and the persons are unable to report on to the state authorities, we regularly put a telephone name to them on our programmes and ask them to share their experiences and likewise let the general public understand how they need the federal government to assist them, as a result of that’s the method we may also help them,” she mentioned.
The station final aired such programmes within the third week of June, following a report of an assault in Mariga Native Authorities Space of the State.
Niger is without doubt one of the many states with extreme safety challenges, together with banditry. The assaults by varied armed teams have led to the killing of a whole bunch of individuals, the kidnapping of hundreds of others, and have left residents of many communities within the state homeless and dwelling in IDP camps.
In accordance with Nigeriawatch.org, Niger State recorded no less than 40 incidents of insecurity between January and August 31, claiming no less than 608 lives.
Many victims of the assaults have been pressured to flee the state or search refuge in different components of the state which can be much less troubled.
Excessive value of journalism in Niger State
PREMIUM TIMES interviewed many journalists working in Niger State. All complained in regards to the local weather of worry and intimidation brought on by Mr Bago’s actions in opposition to journalists.
The Chairman of the NUJ within the state, Abu Nmodu, said that the union had intervened on a number of events to guard journalists from harassment by the state authorities.
Mr Nmodu expressed considerations over government overreach within the state.
“I feel it could possibly be as a result of there’s no correct understanding of the connection between the federal government and the media on the a part of the state authorities,” he famous.
Mr Ndamitso mentioned he stopped attending occasions that had the governor in attendance following the encounter.
“You search the chance to ask good questions, however that’s not doable. It has change into more durable to do critical tales,” he mentioned in resignation.
For Mr Bina, his household was thrown into worry and confusion when he was summoned by the key police for questioning. Mr Bina, who’s the chairman of the correspondent chapel within the state, famous that the atmosphere in Niger is unsafe for journalists.
“The entire scenario is demoralising. As I converse with you, I’ve investigative tales that I’m imagined to pursue, however I can not do the tales for worry of assault. My spouse has requested me to cease journalism due to her worry for my life.”
Press Freedom Violations in Nigeria
The CJID’s 2024 Openness Index ranked Niger eleventh within the enablement of press freedom and civic house in Nigeria.
The index, the primary subnational evaluation of press freedom and civic house openness in Nigeria, ranked the 36 states of the federation and the FCT primarily based on seven key metrics, together with the political atmosphere, authorized framework, financial pressures, socio-cultural context, journalistic rules, therapy of journalists, and gender inclusion.
The index, revealed in July, measured political openness, media independence, and the security of journalists and civic actors on the native degree nationwide.
Imo ranked because the worst-performing state on the index.
With an general rating of 52.86 per cent, Niger State was categorised as an Common Enabler of press freedom and civic house, indicating that the state is neither severely repressive nor exceptionally free for journalists to function in.
Nonetheless, there’s a important space of concern within the “Gender Components” metric, the place the state scored 46.36 per cent.
Moreover, Niger is without doubt one of the 16 states that haven’t domesticated the Freedom of Info (FOI) Act or enacted comparable transparency mechanisms. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court docket dominated in April that the federal FOI Act utilized to all states and native governments in Nigeria.
One other problem is the financial atmosphere for the media, with the state scoring 33.97 per cent on “Financial Components,” indicating monetary viability challenges and pressures affecting media independence.
The CJID openness index paints a worrisome image of the state of press freedom within the nation. That is additional corroborated by the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, which ranked Nigeria 122, a ten-point lower from its 2024 rating.
Moreover, CJID’s Press Attack Tracker (PAT) documented 64 instances of assaults in opposition to Nigerian journalists between January and October. The Press Assault Tracker is a civic know-how software that tracks, verifies and paperwork incidents of press freedom violations in West Africa.
The PAT information reveals that Journalists proceed to work beneath unfavourable situations characterised by worry of intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest and rising authorized harassment, particularly strategic lawsuits in opposition to public participation, with safety brokers and state actors being the main perpetrators of assaults.
Badeggi FM, others combat again
On 5 August, Badeggi FM filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Niger State governor and the Niger State City Growth Board on the State Excessive Court docket, praying the court docket to halt the federal government’s implementation of the governor’s orders till the case is determined.
In response, the court docket issued an interim injunction restraining the state authorities and its brokers from taking any additional motion in opposition to the radio station.
This interim order was meant to permit Badeggi FM to function freely, with out interference, harassment, or intimidation from the Niger State City Growth Board pending the willpower of the case.
The federal government later opted for an out-of-court settlement of the case. The federal government’s lawyer, Jacob Usman, introduced this at a listening to within the case on 11 August.
SERAP, NGE Sue Governor Bago, NBC
On 8 August, the Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Undertaking (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) filed a lawsuit in opposition to Governor Bago and the NBC over “the continuing intimidation” of Badeggi FM Radio in Minna, together with the risk to close down the station.
In swimsuit quantity FHC/L/CS/1587/2025, filed on the Federal Excessive Court docket, Lagos, SERAP and NGE requested the court docket to find out “whether or not by Part 22 of the Nigerian Structure 1999 (as amended) and part 2(1)(t) of the NBC Act, the NBC has the authorized obligation to guard Badeggi FM from the continuing intimidation from the governor.”
The authorized secretary of the Worldwide Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Tobi Soniyi, additionally described the actions of the governor as condemnable, including that the suitable step the governor must have taken for media reviews that the federal government finds inaccurate is to concern a rejoinder and state the right place, to not shut down media homes or arrest journalists.
He urged the governor to be extra tolerant in the direction of the media and act as a listening authorities.
“Moderately than accusing journalists of being criminals, the federal government ought to examine the data offered.”
Mr Soniyi additionally urged the SSS and police to conduct their very own investigations and never change into keen instruments for these in authority, stressing that arresting journalists for asking questions stifles journalism and inhibits press freedom.
PREMIUM TIMES made a number of makes an attempt to acquire a response from the Niger State Authorities relating to our findings. We contacted the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, through electronic mail, WhatsApp messages, and telephone calls, however acquired no reply. Equally, the Particular Adviser on Print Media to the Governor, Aisha Wakaso, declined to handle our questions, citing an ongoing examination. A proper letter was subsequently despatched to the Governor’s Workplace and formally acknowledged, however no solutions had been offered.
