The Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists has demanded investigations and prosecutions over attacks on journalists, warning that allowing offenders to escape punishment endangers reporting in the public interest.
In a joint statement, Chairman Akeem Abas and Secretary Temidayo Adu urged governments, security agencies, institutions and individuals to protect media workers and respect their professional independence.
The council issued the appeal to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, observed on Monday, 2 November.
It placed accountability at the centre of its demands, calling on the relevant authorities to investigate attacks thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice. Failure to prosecute offenders, the council said, encourages further abuse and creates conditions in which fear can weaken journalism.
The union linked journalists’ safety to the public’s ability to obtain information and scrutinise those exercising authority. It argued that threats against reporters affect accountability beyond the individual media workers involved.
It also condemned interference with news gathering, including attempts to withhold information, obstruct reporters or stop them from covering matters of public concern. Such restrictions, it said, undermine democratic participation and citizens’ access to information.
The council identified intimidation, harassment, threats, assault and unlawful arrest among the pressures journalists must be able to work without. It urged those dealing with the media to allow reporters to carry out their responsibilities without coercion.
The appeal coincides with renewed international attention to unresolved killings and changing threats against journalists.
In its 2026 observance briefing, UNESCO reported that 189 journalists died in violent attacks during 2024 and 2025, with 67 per cent of the killings occurring in conflict zones.
The agency put the global impunity rate at 86 per cent, leaving almost nine in every 10 recorded killings judicially unresolved. It said the figure represented a one-percentage-point increase, the first rise since it began measuring the global rate in 2012.
The United Nations General Assembly established the observance through Resolution 68/163 in 2013. The date commemorates the killing of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November that year.
The resolution calls on states to prevent violence against journalists, ensure accountability and provide an environment in which media workers can operate independently and without undue interference.
Addressing newsroom responsibilities, the Oyo council urged media organisations to make staff safety and welfare a priority. It highlighted the risks surrounding sensitive assignments and coverage of public demonstrations.
The council said protection requires cooperation beyond the newsroom, with authorities, institutions and individuals all sharing responsibility for creating conditions in which journalists can work safely.
It also called for stronger arrangements to defend press freedom and promote responsible journalism, stressing the importance of professional independence alongside protection from persecution.
The union reaffirmed that it would defend journalists’ rights and dignity in Oyo State and elsewhere. It said ending impunity requires sustained action from all relevant stakeholders to protect both media workers and the public interest their reporting serves.