By Danjuma Amodu
The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has called for an independent investigation into the alleged assault of Pinnacle Daily Editor, Sunday Ogwu, by police and Vigilante Group of Nigeria personnel during an operation in Lugbe, Abuja, on August 19.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Coalition accused the FCT Police Command of shifting attention from the core allegations to Ogwu’s decision not to immediately honour a police invitation. The reaction followed a statement by FCT Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, on Friday, which criticised Ogwu for allegedly declining invitations and attempting to mobilise public sentiment.
CWPPF said the police statement failed to address key issues raised by the journalist, including the alleged physical assault, the use of an electric cable, and the destruction of his mobile phone. According to the Coalition, the Command’s August 21 statement did not confirm or deny that Ogwu was assaulted, did not identify the officers involved, and did not address the alleged use of force or damage to property. It said the Command instead focused almost entirely on Ogwu’s non-attendance at its headquarters.
The Coalition stated that Ogwu reported the incident personally to the FCT Police spokesperson at about 8:30pm on August 19, approximately three hours after the alleged assault, before seeking legal advice and support from press-freedom organisations. It argued that consulting lawyers and media-rights groups before making a formal statement to the same police command allegedly involved in the incident was a reasonable precaution, not an attempt to obstruct investigation.
CWPPF also raised concerns over conflicting accounts regarding the identity of the security personnel involved. It noted that the FCT Police spokesperson had earlier told the International Centre for Investigative Reporting that the officers involved were likely not under the FCT Command, but that this claim was neither repeated nor clarified in the subsequent statement. The Coalition further cited an account attributed to the Lugbe Divisional Police Officer, CSP Ukorobo Uchenna C., who when contacted by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism allegedly did not deny that an assault occurred but asked whether Ogwu had personally seen or spoken to him.
It also referenced a publication by the Lugbe Community Security Committee which reportedly praised the Commissioner of Police and identified CSP Uchenna as having led an operation in the area on the same date. The publication described it as an anti-drug exercise, while Ogwu and the Coalition described it as a demolition operation. Taken together, CWPPF said the conflicting accounts made an independent investigation necessary and expressed concern that the substantive allegation of assault risks being displaced by a competing narrative about the complainant’s conduct.
The Coalition disclosed that Ogwu sought medical attention for injuries allegedly sustained during the incident and was therefore unable to honour the initial police invitation. It said he has, however, committed to appearing before the Command on Monday, August 24, accompanied by his lawyers.
CWPPF argued that an investigation conducted entirely within the police command implicated in the allegation would create an inherent perception problem, regardless of the intentions of individual officers. It therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, and the FCT Police Command to move the investigation to an independent mechanism outside the direct command structure implicated in the allegation.
The Coalition also demanded the public identification of the officers and unit deployed to the Lugbe Federal Housing Estate operation on August 19, and a reconciliation of that information with the earlier statement that the personnel involved might not have been under FCT Command. It further called for the preservation and production of deployment records, operational orders, patrol vehicle logs, and any available CCTV or body-camera footage relating to the operation.
CWPPF demanded an apology and full compensation for Ogwu’s allegedly destroyed mobile device, as well as payment of medical expenses arising from the incident. It also urged the police to refrain from publicly characterising Ogwu’s conduct until the allegations against the officers involved have been transparently investigated. The Coalition called for clear directives to all police divisions in the FCT affirming journalists’ right to document public operations without obstruction, seizure of equipment, or physical harm.
“Journalism is not a crime, and documenting the public conduct of state agents is a constitutionally protected right, which has been judicially affirmed,” CWPPF said.
The Coalition comprises Premium Times, Daily Trust, ICIR, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Union of Journalists, International Press Institute Nigeria, SERAP and other media, civil society and legal organisations. It said it would continue monitoring the matter and support a credible, transparent and independent process capable of producing a satisfactory resolution.
