BY AHMED AKANBI
The International Press Centre, IPC, has condemned the violent attack on journalists returning from an All Progressives Congress, APC Tinubu Support Group rally in Kano on Saturday, September 5, 2026, warning it signals danger for press freedom ahead of 2027.
According to the IPC Safety and Protection of Journalists, SPJ Hub, hoodlums attacked a vehicle carrying four staff of Radio Nigeria Pyramid FM, one journalist from Guarantee Radio, and another from Daily Trust after the rally at Sani Abacha Stadium.
The attackers repeatedly smashed the vehicle, injuring the driver, while some journalists sustained cuts from shattered glass. The Radio Nigeria Pyramid FM bus was among those vandalized.
The IPC Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the assault is unacceptable so early in the campaign season.
“The campaigns and rally just recently started, and journalists should not be subject to any form of attack at this time,” he stated.
Arogundade described the incident as a direct threat to democracy and press freedom, saying journalists must not become targets for covering political events.
The IPC-SPJ Hub urged security agencies to take deliberate steps to protect media workers deployed to rallies and other large political gathering, saying intimidation and violence have no place in election coverage.
The group also told media houses to put safety first, while advising journalists covering the 2027 elections to do security scans and maintain situational awareness at all times.
It noted that attacking a public broadcaster’s vehicle raises fresh concerns about the safety of state media during political reporting and demanded that perpetrators be identified, arrested and prosecuted to deter future attacks on journalists.
With political activities intensifying, IPC-SPJ said it will keep monitoring threats against the press and push for accountability to guarantee safe coverage of the 2027 general elections.