WE DEMAND CLEAR CUT RULES TO PREVENT ARBITRARY ARREST OF JOURNALISTS IN NIGERIA
Journalists For Sustainable Development Initiative (JSDI) have joined other well-meaning organizations, institutions and individuals in Nigeria to mark this year's World Press Freedom Day 2026, theme: “Shaping A Future At Peace ..... Promoting Press Freedom For Human Rights, Development & Security”. In a statement signed by the Executive Director of the organization, Dr Parry Saroh Benson, the group demand for clear cut rules to prevent arbitrary arrest and prosecution of journalists and other media practitioners in Nigeria, in addition to the establishment of special courts that would enforce such laws with attendant consequences for violations. Benson further stated that the Nigerian Judiciary should be able to enforce such laws, while also calling for practical Freedom of Information Laws that are practical, not cumbersome but enforceable. Benson who is also the publisher of PortHarcourt Spectator newspaper said: “Impunity by top government officials and the influential in society are the greatest threats to Press Freedom in Nigeria. They cause infractions in the system whenever they feel exposed by media reports and thereon threaten to destabilize even major institutions to the advantage of selves. He further stated that the Media Regulators we have should not be used as political witch-hunting tools. Licensing and broadcasts guidelines should not be punitive but regulatory and correctional, not deliberately vindictive. “The Media, as the biggest and most accessible tool for societal development across board, should not be subjective and made to be loyal to only the high and mighty, but should be for equality, equity and fairness, virtues that will promote transparency and accountability in a democratic system, thus building peace and security. “Finally, we task our lawmakers and the Executive to realize that a society with encumbered Press, the 4th Estate of the Realm, is an endangered one with heightened insecurity and crumpled human rights that can lead to insurrection,” the statement added. e-signed: Dr.Parry Saroh Benson mnipr Executive Director Journalists For Sustainable Development Initiative ( JSDI) May 4, 2026
