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Amnesty International and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) are calling on President Bola Tinubu to stop the Department of State Services (DSS) from intimidating media houses.
This is disclosed by humanitarian and social accountability group in a joint statement issued on Wednesday.
This was in reaction to the alleged intimidation of the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television by the DSS over their reports on the involvement of the service in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis.
According to the statement, the DSS had threatened to use the Cybercrime Act against AIT and Channels TV over their reports.
Condemning the incident, Amnesty and SERAP charged Tinubu to direct the DSS to immediately stop intimidating and harassing media houses, journalists and other civil society actors.
The organisations held that they are solely exercising their human rights and carrying out their constitutional and professional duties.
While expressing concern over the development, Amnesty and SERAP said the intimidation of AIT and Channels TV is yet another example of the growing crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, information and media freedom under the government of President Bola Tinubu.
They accused the DSS of misusing the Cybercrime Act, especially the Section 24 which the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has arbitrary, vague and repressive while ordering Nigerian authorities to repeal it in conformity with the country’s international human rights obligations.
They further emphasized that media houses and journalists should be allowed to freely report information of public interest without fear of intimidation or harassment.
This incident is part of a broader trend of intimidation and harassment of civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and journalists in Nigeria.
