The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
has strongly condemned the reported arrest and detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq by the Department of State Services (DSS), calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order her immediate release.
In a statement released on Friday, the group described the detention as an arbitrary action, alleging that Sodiq was being held solely for peacefully exercising her rights and carrying out her professional duties as a journalist.
The organisation said the reported arrest represents another serious attack on press freedom, freedom of expression and the public’s constitutional right to seek, receive and impart information.
According to the statement, journalism should never be treated as a criminal offence, stressing that no journalist should face arrest, intimidation, harassment or reprisals for reporting on matters of public interest.
The group argued that a free and independent press remains essential to democracy, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
It further maintained that the rule of law requires any deprivation of liberty to comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and judicial oversight, insisting that arbitrary detention has no place in a democratic society.
The Rights organisation urged Nigerian authorities to immediately end what it described as the use of arbitrary detention and intimidation against journalists, critics and human rights defenders, warning that the detention of Sodiq could have a chilling effect on media freedom and further shrink Nigeria’s civic space.
The statement also renewed calls on the Tinubu administration to withdraw what it described as politically motivated and unfounded charges against activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, arguing that the legal actions appear intended to intimidate and silence him for exercising his rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
According to the SERAP, such prosecutions risk creating fear among journalists, human rights defenders and other critical voices in the country.
The organisation further called on the Federal Government, state governors, lawmakers and security agencies to end what it described as the intimidation and harassment of journalists, bloggers, activists and civil society organisations for peacefully expressing their views.
It also criticised the continued use of provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, criminal and penal laws, as well as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), alleging that they are increasingly being deployed to suppress dissent and restrict civic freedoms.
The statement argued that such practices undermine democracy, violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and are inconsistent with Nigeria’s obligations under international human rights instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Expressing concern over what it described as the growing misuse of legal processes against journalists, activists, opposition politicians, artists and other citizens, the group warned that impunity for those who threaten or harass members of the media contributes to an increasingly hostile environment for the exercise of constitutionally protected rights.
It emphasised that the right to freedom of expression extends to information and opinions that may “shock, offend or disturb.”
The organisation urged President Tinubu to publicly direct the DSS, the Nigeria Police Force and state governments to uphold the rights of journalists, bloggers, activists and human rights defenders.
It also called on the Federal Government, the governors of the 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to uphold human rights, protect press freedom, ensure access to information, obey court judgments and respect the rule of law.
The group further appealed to the international community to hold Nigerian authorities accountable for alleged human rights violations by calling for the immediate and unconditional release of anyone detained solely for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights.
