Ex-NUJ president demands Release of detained journalist Stanley Ugagbe

Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and the African Union of Journalists, Lanre Ogundipe, has condemned the arrest and continued detention of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, warning that treating journalists as fugitives undermines the rule of law and weakens democracy.

Ogundipe, in a press statement titled, “The Dignity of the Law Is Diminished When Journalists Are Treated as Fugitives,” said the case goes beyond the liberty of one individual, as it raises serious concerns about the attitude of some law enforcement agencies toward journalists carrying out their constitutional duties.

He said journalists should not be subjected to intimidation, secretive arrests, prolonged detention, confiscation of work tools or other coercive tactics simply because they publish information that may be uncomfortable to those in authority.

According to him, where a journalist is alleged to have breached any law, the Constitution and existing statutes provide clear procedures for investigation, invitation and prosecution.

He said: “It has become an unhealthy pattern in our democracy that journalists are increasingly treated as fugitives rather than professionals performing a public duty.”

Ogundipe noted that such actions do not strengthen law enforcement but instead weaken public confidence in the institutions charged with upholding the rule of law.

The former NUJ President stressed that the media is neither an appendage of government nor an enemy of the State, but a constitutional institution established to serve the public interest by informing citizens, interrogating power and promoting accountability.

He warned that attempts to criminalise journalism through arbitrary law enforcement actions diminish the dignity of the law and erode democratic values.

Ogundipe, who said he had devoted close to five decades to the journalism profession, recalled the years of repression endured in the struggle for democracy, adding that it would be unfortunate for the country to return to practices that create fear within the media and discourage legitimate public-interest journalism.

He said: “We did not endure years of repression in pursuit of democracy only to witness a gradual return to practices that create fear within the media and discourage legitimate public-interest journalism.”

Ogundipe called on the relevant authorities to immediately release Ugagbe unless there exists a lawful basis to promptly arraign him before a court of competent jurisdiction.

He also urged law enforcement agencies to rethink their engagement with journalists, insisting that democracy is not measured by how it treats those who praise authority, but by how it protects the rights of those whose professional duty is to scrutinise it.

“A nation that treats its journalists as fugitives ultimately diminishes the dignity of its own laws and weakens the foundations of its democracy,” he added.