Rights activists see growing threat against free expression

When Bukhari Bello condemned the arrest of two journalists by the Nigerian secret police last month, he believed he was performing his duty as head of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). But three days later, Justice Minister Bayo Ojo sacked him. In taking the action, rights activists say Ojo failed to follow the legal procedure for removing the head of the NHRC. Authorities charged the two journalists, Rotimi Durojaiye of the Daily Independent and Gbenga Aruleba of Africa Independent Television (AIT), with sedition over news reports questioning the true age and cost of a jet recently added to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s fleet. Prosecutors accused the journalists of conspiring “to bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of the president or the government of the federation”. Local and international human rights activists fear the move against Bello and the journalists signals a trend of growing repression of freedom of expression and the press by Obasanjo’s government. “Press freedom and freedom of expression are under a renewed threat, part of an effort to cow the media and the public,” Nigerian human rights lawyer Clement Nwankwo told IRIN. Authorities alleged that Bello was removed pending an investigation into allegations of financial impropriety. Kayode Areh, head of the SSS, told journalists earlier this week that authorities were attempting to preserve the security of individuals and the state in the midst of a politically delicate period. With more than 120 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. Clashes among ethnic groups and between Christians and Muslims have claimed thousands of lives in recent years, according to human rights groups. Tension and violence often escalate ahead of elections, which are due next year. Nwankwo said he believes the recent moves by authorities stem from Obasanjo’s failure to secure a parliamentary change to the constitutional two-term limit that would have allowed him to run for a third term. “I still don’t believe he (Obasanjo) plans to leave office,” Nwankwo said. “And he is moving to clamp down on those who opposed the third-term project and teach them a lesson.” Apart from condemning the arrest of the two journalists, Bello is believed to have annoyed Obasanjo’s government at a meeting of the African Commission on Human Rights earlier this year. In a speech, Bello condemned African leaders who seek to prolong their rule. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it had documented “an increase in harassment of the media in the run-up to the 2007 presidential elections”. The CPJ said it was “particularly worrying” that the secret police or State Security Services (SSS), “which reports directly to the presidency, is behind many of these attacks”. Ahead of the crucial vote in parliament that defeated the third-term bid, the SSS had raided the offices of the AIT to confiscate the tape of a documentary that tracked failed efforts by previous Nigerian leaders to stay in power. AIT also said it received bomb threats by telephone for providing live coverage of the unflattering debate of the proposed amendment in parliament. Rights groups say previous displays of intolerance to news media criticism include the arrest and detention of newspaper publisher Orobosa Omo-Ojo in May 2005 for publishing a report alleging that Obasanjo’s wife was using her influence to corner lucrative government real estate. The secret police also raided the premises of the Insider Weekly magazine in the country’s commercial capital, Lagos, a year earlier to seize an entire edition of the publication, which carried a story alleging government corruption. Activists say they fear a slide toward military-style authoritarianism. “We are appalled at the treatment of Bello,” said Chinonye Obiagwu, head of the Legal Defence and Aid Project, and one of the leaders of a coalition of rights groups protesting government interference in the rights commission. “This is not just an issue about Mr. Bello. It is about the rule of law, due process, and proper governance,” said Obiagwu. “If we allow this to go unchallenged, it is going to be a return to anarchy. This is a call to the trenches.” On Wednesday the coalition of rights groups called a public forum in the capital Abuja, tagged “The People vs. Ojo”, to discuss the treatment of Bello and other alleged threats against free expression by Obasanjo’s government. However, the forum was aborted after police and state security agents cordoned off the venue and barred participants from entering. “We have orders from above to stop this meeting,” Femi Ogunbayode, the leader of the security team, told the activists. For rights activists and government critics, it was further confirmation of their worst fears. “The unlawful and forceful dispersal vindicates the growing fears … that the government of Nigeria is now fully committed to subverting the protection of human and constitutional rights,” the groups said in a joint statement. “We are no criminals and we were not plotting to commit any crime,” said Clement Wasa, one of the participants. “We only wanted express our feelings on the illegal removal of Bello.” dm/cs