Government Use Of Extra Legal Measures Against Media Practitioners A Case Study Of Sani Abacha Regime.

The media as the watchdog of the society aluminates its light on the  society not forgetting its responsibility of entertainment, information and educating its audience as to keep them abreast of the dynamism of the world, condemning the ills of the government and the governed,  all geared towards a better society.  

Median practitioners by implication covers  all the people who are trained in the art of journalism and work in radio and television station, newspapers and magazines and other medium through which people get informed.  The concept of the media developed right from the time the printing press was invented five centuries ago.  The invention revolutionized man’s ability to communicate ideas and information.  But, from that time, there was always this desire of  those who had control of  political authority/ power to create barriers against the free flow of ideas and information which the believe could threaten  their rule.

Press  freedom as a  concept of libertarian philosophy  is always assailed by those  who us quo maintained hence use of extract legal measures against medial  practitioners which was colossal during military era.

For media practitioners to carryout their duties effectively and efficiently, they should be granted  certain degrees of freedom hence absolute freedom is unattainable.  Media practitioners in trying to meet up with  its expected roles have encountered grave unhealthy confrontations ranging from harassment, intimidation, detention, to  censorship which is more pronounced during military dictatorship.

This work is restricted to Late General Sani Abacha military junta who  reveled in gagging and  muzzling the media using  state security apparatus despite the fact that modern  constitution endavours  to safeguard basis  freedom which the military had always defied, flouted, suppressed and violated with impunity.

This government use of extra legal measures against media practitioners can be traced back to  the infamous Decree No. 4 as promulgated by general Buchari (Ltd) in 1984 which endavoured to  strangle press  freedom .  

 The Decree become the  sword of Damocles of dangling over the head of every journalist.   Of course,  the two of Nduka lrabor and Tunde Thompson were detained for violating the infamous Decree No.4 otherwise known as the “ Public officers protection from false Accusation” 

Decree 1984 for publishing story about changes in Nigerian High Commissioner in Britain whose to be withdrawn and replaced by Rtd. Gen Hannaniya.  They refused to divulge the  source of their  information.  They were later charged to court, tried and convicted under the provisions of the Decree,  on April 4, 1984.  they were jailed for 18  months.

It was intriguing that after Irabor and Thompson had been convicted, Rtd Gen.  Hanvaniya was subsequently accredited to UK as Nigerian High Commissioner.

In 1995, the quarter of Mrs. Chris Anyanwu, Kunse Agibade, George Mba and Ben Charles  Obi were detained in different prisons across the country on 15 years jail sentence each by a special military tribunal headed by Brigadier General Patrick Aziza for allege coup plot which has to do with  reports carried by their magazines on the alleged Col. Gwadabe Coup of 1995.

In another development, security agents  swooped on Onome Osifo-whiskey  and Whistled him away on  Nov. 9, 1997 with his colleagues at Tell headquarters at the mercy  of invading security  agents who had come for the previous week edition of the magazine which was titled ‘why Abacha  won’t hand  over’ Tell premises was sealed off and all the staff who  were around beat a hasty retreat.  Thinking that a parted delivery  van continued the magazine in  question the operative brought in a tow van and force –fully removed  it to their operational base.   

In Feb 14, 1994, News watch magazine carried news on the drug war and in March 7, News watch reported the trial of the suspect which unveiled the deify deals in  drug agency,  tribunal and justice ministry.  After  this report, the aggrieved tribunal judge Fumilayo  Oni-Okpaku “tried” and  detained News watch editors for contempt.

Following this incident, on  Aprial 12, 1994, the Sledgehammer fell on News  watch against government  descended on the magazine  arresting its  editors  and charge them to court for interview published by the magazine.  The subsequent trial  of the accuses persons did not seem to meet internationally recognized standard of fairness as a result of articles they had published concerning the alleged coup and other stories.

Military dictators have  maintained unabated posture in trying tp gag the press like laying siege at media houses like  Tell Newswatch and the news just to mention but a few.  The apogee of proscription and champ down on the press took place  in August 1994 Acholonu (1999:30) was in line with his observation when he maintained that the zenith of the  champ down on the   press was the outright proscription, in  August, 1994, of the National concord, the Punch and the Guardian  group of newspapers by three retroactive decrees.  They  were captioned:

The Concord News papers and African Concord weekly magazine (proscription & prohibition from circulation )Decree No. 8 The proscribed papers were considered too critical of the ruling Junta, especially during the renewed struggle by port democracy forces to undermine military rule.

Journalist have always had the onerous duty of acting as the  conscience of the nation, the watchdog of the society, defenders  of the rights of the citizens, and promoters of justice and  fairness.  In the process of doing this, they often fail under the slege hammer  of government,  especially that is run by a military tyrant-

The type of military  dictatorship which bestrode upon Nigeria for decades since independence, like colossus, startled every right- thinking person.  Regimes upon  regimes inflicted upon the citizenry the pains of authoritarianism and gagged the press with merciless brutality.  But these successive military regimes only succeeded in “Killing the messenger and not the massage.”