Nigeria's Civic Rights Violations Reported in 2025

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism presented its 2025 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report, revealing 245 documented incidents of civic space violations in Nigeria throughout the year. Nurudeen Salako, who presented the report during the WSCIJ Journalist Timeout in Lagos, stated that the findings were based on monitoring 54 media organizations from January to December 2025.

The report indicated that state actors were responsible for 219 of the violations, with the Nigerian Police accounting for 118 incidents, representing 53.9 percent of state-related violations. Other state actors included the Department of State Services, political officeholders, state governments, the Nigerian Army, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The report found that non-violent repression was more prevalent than physical violence, with 145 incidents involving intimidation and arrests. March 2025 saw the highest number of violations, attributed to political controversies surrounding Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's suspension and the Rivers State political crisis involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara.