Silencing the Watchdogs: How Mohammed Umaru Bago Is Targeting Journalists in Niger State

December 01, 2025 – Niger –

In Niger State, Nigeria, journalists warn that the administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has launched a concerted campaign of harassment and intimidation against reporters who cover insecurity and bandit violence — driving many to self-censor or abandon critical coverage altogether.

The crackdown gained widespread attention after a prominent incident in early May 2024, when freelance journalist Ibrahim Ndamitso — then working for BBC and Channels TV — asked Bago at a public event what his government was doing to rescue a kidnapped family. The governor reacted by accusing him of colluding with bandits and directed police to “profile” the journalist. He later threatened that Ndamitso’s pursuit of security-related stories could place him at risk — a warning widely deemed as intimidation.

Not long after, other media voices faced pressure. A radio station, Badeggi FM in Minna, bore the brunt of official retaliation when Bago ordered its licence revoked and demanded its immediate shutdown. Security officials visited the station’s premises, marked the building for demolition, and initiated profiling of its owner, moves condemned by media-freedom groups as unconstitutional and vindictive.

Journalists who attempted to report on bandit attacks or government inaction described a growing atmosphere of fear. Coverage of disappearances, kidnappings, and state-level shortcomings nearly disappeared from local media. Some reporters said they stopped attending events involving the governor, calculating that their safety and livelihoods were under threat.

Rights organisations — including the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) — have condemned the actions as a blatant violation of press freedoms. They argue that Bago’s behaviour reflects authoritarian tendencies and undermines democratic accountability in a region where journalists should play a vital role in documenting insecurity and holding power to account.

As insecurity and bandit violence surge in Niger State, the silencing of media watchdogs deepens — leaving residents more vulnerable and deprived of trusted, independent reporting. The escalating pressure on journalists highlights a disturbing trend: when fear replaces transparency, the truth becomes the first casualty.

Reference – 

https://thestreetjournal.org/governor-bago-under-fire-for-intimidating-journalists-reporting-on-insecurity-in-niger/

Governor Bago targets journalists for reporting insecurity in Niger State