FG urges media to keep terrorists off front pages

THE Federal Government has urged journalists to stop giving prominence to the activities of terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups, arguing that excessive publicity helps amplify their operations despite the country’s worsening security crisis.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a two-day National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in collaboration with the State Security Service (SSS).

“Yes, we have to do our work, we have to report whatever happens, but you must know that the best reporter, the best editor, is the one that knows what not to report in the interest of nation-building. Please, take these terrorists and criminals off your front pages,” the minister said.

He noted that without a secure and peaceful country, the media would not have an enabling environment to operate, urging editors to celebrate the sacrifices of young men and women in military and paramilitary institutions, instead of giving free publicity to insurgents.

​“We must have a Nigeria to report first before we can even have a union or any other media organisation. Please, let’s have that at the back of our minds. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this nation survives,” he said.

The minister maintained that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was pursuing both military and non-military approaches to tackle insecurity and insisted that responsible journalism should support nation-building.

His remarks come amid persistent attacks across several parts of the country despite rising security spending and repeated government assurances.

One of The ICIR reports showed how insecurity worsened despite increased allocations to security agencies. More than 44,000 people were killed in various conflicts over five years.

More recently, The ICIR reported that 18,079 people were killed and 8,043 abducted between May 2023 and May 2025, despite military operations that the Defence Headquarters said led to the killing of 6,260 terrorists.

Another ICIR data-driven report showed that at least 32,667 people were killed and 23,187 kidnapped across Nigeria between 2021 and 2026, underscoring the government’s continuing struggle to contain violence.

The security crisis has also taken a toll on the armed forces, with military personnel regularly among casualties in attacks by insurgents and bandits, while rights groups have raised concerns over civilian deaths linked to military airstrikes.

Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.