How Nigerian Universities Harass Campus Journalists for Their Reporting

By Mukaila Habeebullah

One morning in January, Muhammad Akindele, a campus journalist at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), set out to document the deteriorating state of student hostels on the campus.

Armed with his phone and a power bank, he moved around the hostels, taking snapshots and speaking with students to develop anecdotes, determined to help readers see beyond words.

As Mr Akindele lifted his phone to capture one of the hostel buildings, a man accosted him and requested his ID.

“He did not introduce himself, so I assumed he was a student or resident of the nearby village,” he recalled in an interview with Campus Reporter. “I asked him to identify himself before I could do so.”

The man presented the ID card that indicated he was one of the school’s security officers.

“Why are you taking pictures of the hostels?” he asked sharply, almost violently. 

Before he could make meaning out of what was happening, his phone and student ID card had been seized, and he was already being dragged to the security office. 

At the Security office, he was accused of taking pictures of the school’s environment without permission, an accusation that left him and the President of UDUS’ National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ), Muheed Mashood, who quickly came to the scene, dumbfounded.

Despite introducing himself as the leader of the campus journalists, Mr Muheeb was threatened to leave the security post or face unsaid consequences.

“I wrote the statements as ordered. In it, I admitted that I took the pictures. I provided my admission number and my phone number. I cooperated fully, yet I was told more evidence was needed, which was my phone,” Mr Akindele said.

The campus journalist said he was held for close to three hours and only allowed to leave after a senior officer intervened. But as he left, a warning was let out to him.

“I was warned to always seek permission before taking pictures,” he said.

A National Crisis

This may look like a one-off situation with a campus journalist. But interviews with campus journalists and a review of reported cases revealed a pattern that transcends UDUS and pervades Nigerian universities.

While platforms like Press Attack Tracker by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) have extensively documented press violations in the mainstream media, there’s no comprehensive compilation of the violations faced by campus journalists on their campuses.

However, Campus Reporter found close to a dozen documented cases of harassment, intimidation and sometimes outright censorship of campus journalists in the last few years.

The reported violations against campus journalists include physical assault, harassment, summons and intimidation and are mostly perpetrated by university authorities.

While some campus journalists have been forced to delete investigative stories they authored, at least one university has suspended a press outfit for publishing a story they found critical.

The review by Campus Reporter also revealed that some of the complicit institutions include the University of Ibadan (UI), the Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State University (KWASU), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, and Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA). 

In one case in 2024, the management of UDUS suspended Pen Press, a campus press outfit in, for  publishing a story that detailed the unsanitary condition of the drainage and water systems in Zamfara Hostel, one of the hostels at the university. 

Constitution Protects Campus Journalists – Lawyer

However, Abuja-based lawyer, Abdulrasheed Hammad, said the protection of the media granted by the Nigerian constitution extends to campus journalists, saying any violation either on campus or anywhere else is a violation of the constitutional rights.

Mr Hammad explained that Section 39(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees every citizen the right to hold opinions and impart information without interference, adding that the provision does not exclude students from its protection.

He also referenced Section 22 of the Constitution, which assigns the press the responsibility of holding public institutions accountable, arguing that campus journalists perform a similar watchdog role within their institutions.

“Any university regulation or policy that seeks to suppress constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression may be challenged in court,” he said, noting that harassment, intimidation, or disciplinary measures imposed on campus journalists solely for publishing truthful and professionally reported stories could amount to a violation of their fundamental rights.

But this hasn’t stopped intimidation of campus journalists by university authorities.

Truth on trial

In 2025, Mathew Ogunwale, a campus journalist at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), published a report examining the deteriorating and dilapidated state of facilities within the Faculty of Education. 

Mr Ogunwale’s report highlighted dangerous areas capable of causing injuries to students, exposing how the decaying structures had not only become safety hazards but had also dented the reputation of the faculty in the eyes of others across the university.

However, what began as an act of accountability journalism soon spiralled into weeks of scrutiny and pressure.

“Following the publication, my editor and I faced more than a week of panel sessions and questioning over the report and alleged that the story does not portray the eyes of the Faculty well,” he said.

“Rather than focusing on the issues raised about the unsafe structures, the failing facilities, and the risks confronting students, attention shifted toward the journalist who dared to document them.”

He noted that he was prepared to face the consequences so long as he knew he had done nothing wrong, even if it would cost him an extra year in school. 

However, a senior academic who was also a member of his church advised him to pull down the story, which he did reluctantly.

“I later republished it on the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) platform because the issues raised in the report were real and needed attention,” he explained.

When this reporter asked whether Mr Ogunwale ever considered giving up, Ogunwale paused briefly before speaking with the calm, uncommon resolve of someone who had already made peace with the consequences attached to his work.

“I have never thought of relenting,” he said. “What keeps pushing me is my passion for journalism. And beyond that, I know that whenever I write, it creates impact despite the complaints and everything that follows.”

For him, the resistance that often trails his reports is, in itself, proof that the stories are striking somewhere important.

“The faculty management and even the school management eventually make sure something is done about the issues,” he continued. “They may not see my approach as the best, but they understand the message that these things need to be addressed. That realisation has kept me moving forward in a balanced way.”

How campus journalists can seek redress

Mr Hammad, the legal practitioner, acknowledged that freedom of expression is not absolute, but emphasised that campus journalists must uphold the ethical principles of journalism, including accuracy, fairness, balance, and integrity in their reporting.

He advised campus journalists to remain committed to factual reporting and professional standards, stating that those who face sanctions despite adhering to ethical practices can seek redress under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009.

According to him, available remedies may include a declaration that the student’s rights have been violated, an injunction restraining further harassment or interference, compensation for damages suffered, and the setting aside of any unlawful disciplinary action.

“Where incidents involve assault, battery, or other unlawful acts, affected students may pursue civil action under tort law, while matters involving criminal conduct can be reported to law enforcement agencies if internal security mechanisms fail to respond adequately,” he said. 

Assault at UI

However, not only were campus journalists silenced, but they also face physical assault and harassment that no one apologises for.

Ojo Oluwasegun Micheal, a final-year student from the Department of Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan (UI), knows that too well.

During the inauguration of a new Students’ Union executive in March 2025, he became a victim of such an assault.

According to him, one of the university’s security officers, popularly known as Abefele, who was then the Chief Security Officer (CSO), ordered his personnel to forcefully remove a 300-level Law student, Nice Linus,  who was banned from taking her oath of office due to disciplinary case stemming from her role in a protest against a University fee hike in May 2024. 

Driven by curiosity and his instinct as a journalist, Mr Michael followed the security officers outside to document what was happening.

“The moment I stepped outside, I was shocked by what I saw. I wanted to write, but I didn’t even know where to begin because of how disturbing the scene was,” he said.

While trying to gather his thoughts, he alleged that one of the university’s principal officers, C. O. Saliu, who was the then Deputy Registrar, noticed him and shouted, “He is part of them! He is recording! He’s recording!”

“Before I knew it, three security personnel pounced on me and pinned me against the wall. I was slapped, my phone was seized, and as if that wasn’t enough, I was forcefully dragged to the security office and compelled to write a statement,” he said.

The then President of the Union of Campus Journalists of the university, Olanshile Ogunrinu, quickly arrived at the scene and tried to explain that the reporter was only performing his duties as a journalist.

“Instead of stopping, they also assaulted him as though he had committed an offence,” Mr Michael added.

According to the campus journalist, the security personnel had assaulted them before asking them to identify themselves.

However, they were released after writing a statement at the security office.

“When we later collected our phones, we realised that our phones had been tampered with; we couldn’t log in to our WhatsApp accounts. We didn’t know what could have been done to it, so we needed to download another one after losing a lot of messages and more,” he recounted.

According to Mr Hammad, aggrieved campus journalists should first exhaust internal channels by petitioning the Vice-Chancellor through the Dean of Student Affairs.

“However, where such efforts fail to yield results, the courts remain available to protect and enforce their constitutional rights,” he added.

‘Ethical reporting, our greatest defence’ 

At UDUS, Muheeb Moshood, a final-year law student and President of the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ), acknowledged the challenges faced by campus journalists in his university. Yet, he believes that ethical reporting remains the association’s greatest defence against censorship.

“The first thing is to understand the nature of journalism,” he said. “Conflict is part of the job. You can’t avoid it completely, but what matters is how you handle it. If you’re sure you’ve done your work professionally, it becomes easier to defend yourself.”

Mr Moshood said NACJ places a strong emphasis on accuracy, fairness and evidence before any story goes to press. 

According to him, reporters are constantly reminded that the strength of a story lies in its facts, not in exaggerated language.

“We always tell our reporters not to overstate things just because they want people to read the story. Let the facts speak for themselves. Once your report is factual and balanced, you can stand by it no matter who is unhappy with it,” he said.