IPC Decries Journalist Attacks, Launches Report on 'Unseen Enablers' for World Press Freedom Day
By Chizoba Njaka
The International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos marked World Press Freedom Day 2026 with a strong call for enhanced journalist safety and press freedom, highlighting 23 attacks on 28 journalists and two media organizations documented by its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub in 2025.
In a statement signed by Press Freedom Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, IPC noted that the attacks ranged from threats to life, abductions, unlawful arrests, physical assaults, and even murder. Gender breakdown showed 23 male victims, three females, and two unspecified, while online media faced the most incidents (16), followed by broadcast (10) and print (1).
The global observance on May 3, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993, carries the theme “Shaping a Future at Peace,” emphasizing media's role in fostering peace, democracy, and social cohesion amid conflicts, misinformation, and threats to civic space.
IPC Executive Director Lanre Arogundade stressed that journalism amplifies marginalized voices and counters disinformation but faces escalating risks like harassment, detention, and killings. “The safety of journalists must be prioritized by governments, security agencies, and stakeholders,” he said, urging constitutional protections, legal safeguards, and accountability for crimes against media workers.
IPC also advocated ethical, conflict-sensitive reporting and innovation against misinformation and hate speech. To commemorate the day, it launched “The Unseen Enablers,” a publication supported by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, exposing non-state actors' roles in undermining information access, news dissemination, and press freedom in Nigeria.
The report aims to spur collaborative action against these “unseen enablers” who create hostile environments for journalism. “A peaceful future is only possible where the press is free, voices are heard, and truth prevails,” IPC affirmed, calling on governments, civil society, media owners, and the international community for joint efforts toward peace, justice, and inclusive development.