Nigeria has been listed among countries where death of journalists and media professionals occurred in 2019.
While over 19 journalists were harassed, assaulted, brutalised, arrested and detained in 2019, a reporter was killed in the country.
The death of Precious Owolabi, a reporter attached to Channels TV, sees Nigeria emerging the least country with record of death of journalists.
Recall that the detention of Agba Jalingo was recorded in the November list of One Free Press Coalition of the most urgent cases of threats to press freedom suffered by journalists around the world.
Student journalists are also facing attack and intimidation by various state governments with the growing repression of media space in the country.
The IFJ recorded 49 killings of journalists and media professionals in 2019, a significant drop from 95 in 2018.
The IFJ listed 18 countries from the world where journalist were killed since the start of the year.
The Federation says that while the apparent decreasing bloodbath in the journalists’ community is a welcome relief, the spread of killings and the motives behind the killings are sobering reminders that violence against journalists is still rampant and failure to combat impunity for these attacks remain a damning indictment on those in power.
“Africa (9), Asia Pacific (12), Europe (2), Latin America (18) and the Middle East and Arab world (8). The Federation also recorded six work-related accidental deaths in Tanzania (5) and the United States (1).
“The death toll is the lowest since 2000, when 37 journalists and media staff were killed, but the causes of the loss of life during 2019 remain largely the same,” said IFJ President, Younes Mjahed.
