A coalition of media and civil society organisations has condemned the alleged assault of the Editor of Pinnacle Daily, Sunday Ogwu, by police officers and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) during a demolition exercise in Lugbe, Abuja.
The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF), in a statement issued Thursday, alleged that Ogwu was twice beaten with an electric cable by police officers attached to the Lugbe Police Division after he attempted to record the demolition exercise with his mobile phone.
The coalition further alleged that the assault was carried out under the supervision and direction of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Lugbe Police Division, identified as CSP Uchenna.
According to an account Ogwu reportedly gave the coalition, the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, when he encountered a joint demolition operation involving police personnel and VGN members around the Lugbe Federal Housing Estate.
The operation reportedly involved about four Hilux patrol vans marked “Lugbe Police Division” and VGN personnel dressed in brown uniforms.
Ogwu was said to have brought out his mobile phone to document the exercise, prompting a police officer to allegedly seize the device. Despite repeatedly identifying himself as a journalist and requesting to speak with the team leader, he was reportedly surrounded by officers.
The journalist was allegedly ordered into one of the patrol vans. When he refused, insisting that he had committed no offence, the coalition said he was beaten with an electric cable on the instruction of the officer in charge.
Ogwu was subsequently allowed to leave after his phone was returned, according to the statement.
However, about 100 metres from the demolition site, he reportedly began recording a video of the alleged assault and attempted to send a distress message to his media organisation.
The police officers allegedly noticed him filming, pursued him, dragged him back to the demolition site and subjected him to a second round of beating.
CWPPF alleged that the officer in charge ordered the second assault, reportedly stating that the first beating “was not enough.”
The incident allegedly left Ogwu injured and his mobile phone severely damaged before passersby intervened and advised him to leave the area for his safety.
Reacting to the incident, CWPPF described the alleged assault as a serious attack on press freedom and an abuse of police authority.
The coalition called on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the FCT Police Command to immediately investigate the allegations, identify all officers and VGN personnel involved and take appropriate disciplinary action where wrongdoing is established.
It also demanded compensation for Ogwu’s damaged phone, payment of his medical expenses and a formal apology to the journalist and the management of Pinnacle Daily.
The coalition further urged the police authorities to direct divisions across the Federal Capital Territory to desist from intimidating, harassing or assaulting journalists covering public-interest events.
“Journalism is not a crime,” the coalition said, stressing that the media has a constitutional responsibility to scrutinise public institutions and keep citizens informed.
The alleged incident comes amid persistent concerns over the safety of journalists covering sensitive public-interest issues in Nigeria, including demolitions, protests, elections and security operations.
Media-rights organisations have consistently advocated stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that law-enforcement agencies respect journalists’ rights while performing their duties.
If established, the Lugbe incident could intensify concerns over the treatment of media workers by security personnel and raise further questions about the protection of press freedom in Nigeria.
CWPPF comprises media, civil society and legal organisations working to promote whistleblower protection, freedom of expression and press freedom.
The allegations contained in the coalition’s statement could not be independently verified from the material available for this report. The police and the Lugbe Police Division had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
