The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has listed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, alongside two state governors in its newly unveiled Book of Infamy for actions it says undermine press freedom in the country.
The two governors named are Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, and Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago. At the same event, IPI Nigeria honoured the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, for what it described as his openness to engagement and corrective actions on media-related complaints.
IPI Nigeria explained that the Book of Infamy was introduced to document public officials who persistently violate press freedom despite repeated appeals and interventions by media rights organisations.
According to the Institute, IGP Egbetokun was listed due to what it described as continued arbitrary arrest, harassment, and detention of journalists by police operatives across the country, despite several calls to the police leadership to address such practices.
Governor Umo Eno’s inclusion followed an incident in which journalists from Channels Television were reportedly barred from covering official activities at the Akwa Ibom State Government House, an action IPI said infringed on the media’s constitutional right to access information.
Governor Mohammed Umar Bago was cited for ordering the shutdown of Badeggi FM, a private radio station in Niger State. IPI described the closure as an excessive response that curtailed free expression and the public’s right to be informed.
In contrast, the DSS Director-General, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, was commended for responding positively to IPI’s interventions on media freedom issues. The Institute highlighted his role in reviewing past actions of the agency, including the removal of veteran journalist and media advocate, Lanre Arogundade, from a decades-long security watchlist.
IPI Nigeria said the contrasting listings were intended to send a clear message that while press freedom violations would be publicly documented and remembered, positive engagement and reforms would also be recognised.
The unveiling of the Book of Infamy comes amid growing concerns over press freedom in Nigeria, with journalists and media organisations increasingly reporting cases of intimidation, censorship, unlawful closures, and arrests. Media rights advocates say the initiative is aimed at strengthening accountability and reinforcing the media’s role as a cornerstone of democratic governance in the country.