Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, says attacks on media and civil society organisations (CSOs) under President Bola Tinubu’s administration are worse than what occurred during the military era.

Abubakar was reacting to the arrest of Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the alleged invasion of the office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) by the Department of State Services (DSS). 

Security operatives have intensified attacks on journalists since the turn of the year.

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has also detained several journalists and whistleblowers over alleged petitions filed against them.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Abubakar described the attacks on the media as “profoundly disturbing”.

“The escalating assault on civil society and the media by the Bola Tinubu administration is profoundly disturbing. The level of oppressive control now imposed surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship,” Abubakar wrote. 

“The recent arrest of Mr. Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, en route to an official event, epitomizes this regime’s relentless campaign to intimidate and subdue organized labour.

“Just days prior, security forces detained a journalist, only to later claim it was a grievous error. What if the outcome had been fatal? Now, Tinubu’s regime extends its repressive grasp to encroach upon @SERAPNigeria, an action that stands as a grave affront to our democratic values.

“This siege is anathema to the principles of freedom and justice. It is imperative that Tinubu and his security apparatus redirect their fervour and intimidation towards the actual perpetrators of violence — terrorists and bandits — who are inflicting immeasurable suffering upon the Nigerian people.”

During Nigeria’s military era — 1966-1979 and 1983-1999 — attacks on journalists and media houses were widespread, marked by severe repression.

The military regime also witnessed the killings of journalists and activists.

The Cable