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Nigeria is one of eight African countries with many journalists in prison, a report by the Centre for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) says. In the last year, four Nigerian journalists were taken to court and faced cybercrime charges for reporting on corruption, showing that freedom of the press is still a major issue.
The CPJ report states that in 2024, 67 journalists were jailed in Africa. Governments, including Nigeria’s, are using laws to quiet the media and stop criticism. For instance, in Ethiopia, five journalists are facing death penalties for reporting on the Amhara Conflict because they were charged with terrorism.
Unlike Ethiopia, Nigeria uses the Cybercrime Act to arrest and take journalists to court who report on corruption. Despite appeals from groups like the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) asking the Nigerian government to stop using this law to suppress journalists, the situation persists.
One well-known case in Nigeria involved journalist Agba Jalingo, who was prosecuted after he accused a relative of the former governor of Cross River of wrongdoing. Another journalist, Daniel Ojukwu from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was detained for publishing a report that alleged corruption linked to a presidential aide.
Other African countries with a high number of jailed journalists include Egypt, Eritrea, Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Senegal.
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