Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Federal Government to probe the killing of journalists perpetrated between 1986 and 2023 in Nigeria.
Renowned Newswatch journalist, Dele Giwa was one of those killed within the period.
In a judgement delivered on Friday, the judge said the killers must be identified and prosecuted.
Justice Ekwo gave the judgement while presiding over a fundamental rights enforcement action instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda (MRA).
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) was the respondent in the matter.
The rights group had sued the AGF seeking several reliefs including a declaration that the killing of Nigerian journalists is a violation of their fundamental rights to life.
The organisation also sought the enforcement of the fundamental rights of media practitioners to safety as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and African Charter on Human Rights.
MRA expressed concern that some journalists were still being harassed by security agencies with the AGF allegedly doing nothing about it.
Justice Ekwo ordered the Federal Government to ensure adequate protection and safety of the lives of journalists as enshrined in Sections 33, and 39 of the Constitution and Articles 4 and 9 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights.
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