Civic Pulse Nigeria
Quarterly civic space report
Q1 2023
January to March 2023
Complete quarter. Generated 19 Sept 2026.
- Published records
- 5
- Change on Q4 2022
- +4
- States named
- 3
- Reporting organisations
- 1
5 civic space records were published for January to March 2023, against 1 in October to December 2022. Harassment and Intimidation was the most frequently recorded category. 2 of these came from reports written at national level that name no state.
Records by category
- Harassment4
- Arrests & Detention1
- Citizen Engagement0
- Government Discourse0
- Resource Access0
- Legal & Regulatory0
Where records were located
- Bauchi1
- Kano1
- Nasarawa1
Plus 2 national-level records naming no state.
Who reported these incidents
- Rights monitors
- 5
- News outlets
- 0
- Official and court records
- 0
- Committee to Protect Journalists5
The records
- 18 Mar 2023·National·CPN-0078
At least 28 journalists harassed, beaten, denied access while covering Nigerian state elections
At least 28 members of the press were obstructed, harassed or attacked while covering governorship and state assembly elections on 18 and 19 March 2023. On 18 March the Press Attack Tracker recorded 19 attacks in nine states: Ogun, Osun, Sokoto, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Edo, Kano and Nasarawa.
- 18 Mar 2023·Kano·CPN-0079
Premier Radio editor's phone destroyed at Kano polling unit
At a polling place in Daladanchi, Kano State, dozens of unidentified men accused Ashiru Umar, editor and senior correspondent with Premier Radio, of filming them, seized his phone and stamped on it during the governorship election.
- Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2023/03/at-least-28-journalists-harassed-beaten-denied-access-while-covering-nigerian-state-elections/
- 18 Mar 2023·Nasarawa·CPN-0080
Breeze FM reporter beaten by security officers at Lafia polling unit
In Lafia, Nasarawa State, three state security officers slapped, punched and beat Edwin Philip, a reporter with Breeze 99.9 FM, with sticks on the orders of a palace official at a polling unit during the governorship election. He needed stitches for a deep cut to his head.
- Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2023/03/at-least-28-journalists-harassed-beaten-denied-access-while-covering-nigerian-state-elections/
- 25 Feb 2023·National·CPN-0081
At least 14 journalists detained, attacked, or harassed covering Nigeria's election
At least 14 journalists and media workers were detained, harassed or attacked while covering the presidential and National Assembly elections of 25 February 2023. The International Press Centre separately recorded 41 incidents of press freedom violations affecting more than 57 journalists and media professionals.
- Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2023/02/at-least-14-journalists-detained-attacked-or-harassed-covering-nigerias-election/
- 25 Feb 2023·Bauchi·CPN-0082
WikkiTimes owner detained while covering the presidential election
Haruna Mohammed Salisu, owner of the WikkiTimes news website, was detained in Bauchi State on 25 February 2023, the day of the presidential election.
- Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2023/02/at-least-14-journalists-detained-attacked-or-harassed-covering-nigerias-election/
How this report was compiled
Every record in this report is compiled by hand from reports published by named rights monitors, news outlets and official bodies, and links to the source it draws on. Each record is dated to the incident where its source gives that date, and otherwise to the date the source was published. The figures show what has been recorded, not the full extent of what has happened: incidents that were never reported do not appear, and a state with few records is not necessarily a state where little took place.