Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has decried the spate of arrest and detention of journalists in Nigeria.
CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated this in a statement in which he reacted to the arrests of Editor and Webmaster of NewsDigest, Mr. Gidado Yushau and Mr. Adebowale Adekoya.
The two journalists were, however, released by the Kwara State Police Command after being quizzed for publishing an investigative report in May 2018.
Rafsanjani reiterated the need for social justice and press freedom in Nigeria.
Said Rafsanjani: “We are not unaware of the media role in influencing public opinion, shaping political agenda, providing a link between the government and the people, while acting as the government watchdog in advancing good governance. We also recall the crucial importance of the media in the promotion of democracy and rule of law; just as media is indispensable for people to be informed and to effectively participate in a democracy.
“It is on this premise that CISLAC will continue to support young investigative journalists to pursue various legal means to expose corruption and illegalities in our society, as this forms the basis of good governance, transparency and accountability CISLAC advocates and upholds.”
Rafsanjani said Gidado who is also the anchor of Youth Digest, has been in the forefront of training young investigative journalists on accountability in the public sector.