The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the assault and intimidation of campus journalists at the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria, by the university’s security personnel.
On February 22, 2025, during the Students’ Union elections, student journalists were harassed, threatened, and physically intimidated while reporting on the electoral process. The assaults escalated further on March 7, 2025, during the inauguration of newly elected union leaders.
Olanshile Ogunrinu, President of the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJUI), and Oluwasegun Akanni, a fellow campus journalist, were violently attacked and manhandled while covering events at the venue. Video evidence shows both journalists being brutalised for performing their legitimate duties.
The attack occurred as they attempted to document the forceful removal of Nice Linus, a 300-level Law student and elected Student Representative Council (SRC) member, who was barred from taking her oath of office due to a disciplinary case stemming from her role in protests against a university fee hike in May 2024.
Ogunrinu said their attempts to report were met with aggression from university security personnel, who seized their phones and assaulted them. This is part of a disturbing pattern of intimidation against campus journalists at UI.
The MFWA is deeply alarmed by these developments, which reflect a growing culture of repression and impunity on Nigerian university campuses. It is unacceptable for a centre of learning and civic engagement like the University of Ibadan to become hostile ground for student journalists exercising their constitutional rights.
