Nigeria: State Security Service reportedly bans journalists from State House

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IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT - NIGERIA

6 November 2003

State Security Service reportedly bans journalists from State House

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org
and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

The State Security Service (SSS), the Nigerian executive's security service,
has banned three newspapers - "Nigerian Tribune", "The Monitor" and "New
Age" - from covering events at Aso Rock, the seat of the Nigerian
government. The SSS provided no reason for the decision but told affected
reporters from the three papers that their names had been removed from the
list of journalists who "deserved to continue reporting from the Villa."

According to MFWA-Nigeria, on 27 October 2003, the journalists had gone to
renew their accreditation to cover events at the Presidential Villa when SSS
officials informed them that the three papers, their reporters and
photographers were no longer on the list of journalists allowed to cover
activities there.

Mac Davies Ajibade, a photographer from the "Nigerian Tribune", told
MFWA-Nigeria, "We were all called from the Villa to proceed to the
accreditation centre for accreditation. When we got there, we were screened
one after the other. When it got to my turn, I identified myself as a
'Tribune' photographer. The officer checked through the list and told me
that [the] 'Tribune''s name had been removed from the list and that I should
go back because nobody would accredit me and my reporter."

Although SSS officials gave no explanation for the decision to ban the
reporters, it may be a result of recent critical reports of government
activities that appeared in the newspapers.

However, Oluremi Oyo, senior special assistant to President Olusegun
Obasanjo on media affairs, described reports of the ban as "inaccurate and
misleading."

In a statement issued on 30 October, Oyo said no media establishment had
been barred from Aso Rock. She maintained that the reports were "willfully
and grossly exaggerated" to make it seem as if there was an "all-out
offensive against the media."

Oyo explained that "access passes for all personnel of the Presidential
Villa, including the press corps, are renewed once every year and the
exercise for 2003 is currently being undertaken." She added that "several
criteria are applied by the Villa's authorities in determining the
acceptability of the nominees of media organisations."

BACKGROUND:
MISA and MFWA recall that on 17 September, Cyril Mbah, a correspondent for
"The Monitor" newspaper assigned to Aso Rock, was expelled from the
Presidential Villa by SSS agents (see IFEX alert of 23 September 2003).
Mbah's expulsion was in connection to an article in his column entitled,
"OBJ compels Ministers to pray", published in the 14 September edition of
"The Monitor". The article was said to have "disparaged" the president.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the president:
- protesting the decision to ban journalists from covering events at the
Presidential Villa
- condemning the use of state security services to intimidate the media for
carrying out their professional duties
- urging him to control his state security and to encourage them to use the
proper channels to redress their grievances

APPEALS TO:

President Olusegun Obasanjo
President of Nigeria
Aso Rock
E-mail: [email protected]

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.misa.org,
or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, P.
O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel: +233 21 24 24 70, fax: +233 21 22 10 84,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility of
MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
MISA.
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