Adebayo Adenrele
The International Press Centre (IPC) in collaboration with Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) have convened journalists, media stakeholders and civil society actors for a virtual conversation on digital rights, election reporting and cybersecurity ahead of the June 20, 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State.
The event, organised under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) programme, focused on strengthening media professionalism and equipping journalists with practical tools for safe, ethical and responsible election coverage in an increasingly complex digital environment.
Speaking during the opening session held via Zoom on Tuesday, Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, warned that election reporting extends beyond physical polling units into cyberspace, where journalists face growing threats ranging from surveillance and hacking to online harassment, misinformation and digital repression.
According to him, democracy has increasingly migrated into digital spaces, making journalists vulnerable to multidimensional threats that go beyond physical attacks and intimidation.
He noted that journalists in Nigeria are increasingly exposed to cyber harassment, unlawful surveillance, account breaches, online trolling and arrests linked to digital expression, particularly under the controversial cyberstalking provisions of the Cybercrimes Act.
Arogundade added that IPC’s Safety and Protection of Journalists Hub recorded no fewer than 20 attacks on journalists during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
Arogundade explained that the conversation was part of ongoing efforts to prepare journalists for the Ekiti governorship election and to strengthen their understanding of digital security tools, fact-checking mechanisms, secure communication systems and ethical election reporting practices.
According to him, IPC and CEMESO are engaging key stakeholders, including the police and the National Human Rights Commission, to promote an enabling environment for journalists’ safety and press freedom during elections.
His words, “Today’s engagement is timely and extremely significant. As democracy increasingly migrates into digital spaces, journalists, media professionals and citizens now operate in an environment where information in large volumes travels faster than ever before, while threats have also become more sophisticated.
“Election reporting is no longer limited to physical observation of electoral processes including situations at polling units on election day, it now extends into cyberspace — a space shaped by surveillance, online harassment, hacking and other forms of digital attacks, misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
“For journalists especially, the risks have become multidimensional. Beyond physical assaults and intimidation, journalists now face cyber harassment, unlawful surveillance, account breaches, online trolling, arbitrary arrests linked to digital expression, and the misuse of cybercrime laws to suppress public-interest journalism.
“Journalists are frequently targeted, arrested, and prosecuted under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, particularly the highly contentious cyberstalking provisions. Although the law was designed to combat online fraud, state authorities and powerful individuals routinely weaponize it to silence investigative journalists and penalize critical reporting.
“The International Press Centre, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (IPC-SPJ) Hub documented not less than twenty (20) attacks on journalists during the last 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
“These realities remind us that journalist safety must be understood not only in physical terms, but also in digital terms. A journalist whose phone is hacked, whose data is compromised, whose online identity is targeted, or whose reporting is censored through digital repression is endangered.
“This is why conversations like this are essential in the countdown to the Ekiti off-cycle governorship election on June 20, 2026.
“We must continue to build the capacity of journalists to understand digital security tools, fact-checking mechanisms, secure communication systems, and ethical election reporting practices. We must also strengthen institutional safeguards that protect press freedom both offline and online”.
Also speaking, Executive Director of CEMESO, Akin Akingbulu, described the current media environment in Nigeria as increasingly difficult and dangerous, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, cyber surveillance and online attacks.
He warned about the dangers posed by synthetic audio, deepfakes and coordinated online harassment, particularly against female journalists.
The CEMESO Executive Director said the conversation was structured around four major themes: digital rights and freedom of expression, cybersecurity and online safety, management of digital risks and journalist safety, and responsible election reporting.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi hailed the organisers for bringing up the engagement at a time when the state is preparing for an electoral exercise that necessitates credible and fair reportage.
He promised that journalists in the state will use their various platforms to propagate the activities of the organisation aimed at ensuring credible poll.
