Stop giving free publicity to terrorists, FG tells media

… He says the front-page coverage fuels fear

… Urges a shift to highlight the safety benefits

Daud Olatunji

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged the Nigerian media to reduce the prominence given to terrorists and criminal elements in the news, warning that such coverage inadvertently advances their agenda..

Speaking at a security summit organized by the Nigerian Union of Journalists in collaboration with the State Security Service, the minister said excessive publicity fuels fear and gives violent groups the attention they seek.

“Please remove these terrorists and criminals from your front pages. This is what they want for free,” Idris said.

The two-day summit, attended by security agencies, media outlets and other stakeholders, is part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between the press and security institutions amid Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.

Idris expressed concern that media reports often highlight attacks by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, downplaying the efforts and sacrifices of security personnel.

“It saddens me. I feel very unhappy when I see that our front pages report the activities of these criminals and underestimate those of the security agencies,” he said.

He made clear that his position does not amount to a call for censorship but rather a push for responsible journalism anchored in the national interest.

According to him, “No one is asking for censorship. No one is asking the media not to do their job, but we must know that we must have a country to preserve.”

The minister stressed that journalists must exercise editorial judgment in deciding not only what to report but also how to present that information, stressing that professionalism involves knowing “what not to report in the interests of nation-building.”

He also highlighted the evolving nature of security threats facing the country, including terrorism, banditry, cybercrime, disinformation and organized crime, saying these challenges require greater synergy between the media and security agencies.

Idris praised what he described as improved relations between journalists and the DSS, noting that the NUJ has reported no cases of journalists being detained by the agency in the past year and a half.

He urged other security agencies to emulate the standard, expressing optimism that cases of harassment and detention of journalists will soon become a thing of the past.

The minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthening cooperation through dialogue, strategic communication and capacity-building initiatives.

Nigeria continues to face widespread insecurity, with insurgencies in the northeast, banditry in the northwest and north-central, and emerging threats in parts of the south.

Despite the challenges, the federal government says security forces have recorded significant progress, including the killing of thousands of terrorists and the surrender of many others during ongoing military operations.

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