Politics
WSCIJ demands independent probe into assault on Pinnacle editor
THE Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the assault of Sunday Michael Ogwu, editor of Pinnacle Daily, by police officers and personnel of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Lugbe, Abuja.
WSCIJ, in a statement on Monday, August 24, condemned the attack and called for accountability over allegations that Ogwu was physically attacked, struck with an electric cable and had his mobile phone seized and destroyed during a security operation at the Lugbe Federal Housing Estate on August 19, 2026.
The centre said the claims were “deeply troubling” and constituted a serious threat to press freedom, journalists’ safety and citizens’ right to document the conduct of authorities.
Ogwu had told The ICIR that he encountered a joint operation on demolition involving police officers and members of a vigilante group while taking an evening stroll in the Lugbe area on August 19.
According to him, he began documenting the operation when the security personnel seized his phone and ordered some of their colleagues to beat him.
“I was badly beaten. Eventually, they said they would take me to the station,” Ogwu said in a voice recording obtained by The ICIR.
He also said he saw “Lugbe Police Station” written on one of the pickup vans used during the operation and repeatedly asked the officers to identify the leader but they refused.
Ogwu later published videos about the incident on social media, after which, according to him, the officers sent people after him. He said he feared he could be taken into police custody.
In another video posted on Facebook, the editor said the officers questioned whether he had permission to cover the operation. He said he told them that he did not require permission to document what he considered a public activity.
The FCT Police Command had initially denied that the officers involved were attached to the command.
Its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, told The ICIR that police officers involved in the alleged assault could not have been FCT officers, adding that the police “don’t even get involved in demolitions” and that the Federal Capital Territory Administration was the appropriate authority to contact regarding the exercise.
Adeh, however, asked Ogwu to contact her personally to assist in tracing the officers and advised him to file a formal report.
The command later claimed Ogwu had declined an invitation to appear at its headquarters to make a statement and preferred to circulate videos on social media, “seemingly in an attempt to mobilise public sentiment.”
Ogwu dismissed the allegations, challenging the command to provide any formal invitation extended to him.
Reacting to this, the WSCIJ described the approach by the FCT command as worrisome.
“A journalist who alleges that he was assaulted by security personnel should be able to seek medical attention, legal advice and support from professional or press freedom organisations without such actions being portrayed as an attempt to obstruct an investigation or mobilise public sentiment,” the centre said.
It added that Ogwu had reportedly sought medical attention for injuries sustained during the incident and indicated his willingness to honour the police invitation in the company of his lawyers.
The centre urged the police to ensure that Ogwu’s engagement with the authorities was conducted in a manner that respected his rights, dignity and safety.
The centre also situated the incident within what it described as a broader pattern of attacks and restrictions on journalists and citizens in Nigeria.
It referenced its 2025 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report, titled Silenced Voices, Shrinking Space: Civic Freedoms Under Pressure, report, which documented 245 incidents of violations affecting journalists and civic freedoms in 2025, including harassment, intimidation, arrests, assault and other forms of interference.
The report identified the Nigeria Police Force as the state agency most implicated in the documented violations.
The centre called on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to place the investigation under an independent mechanism outside the command structure implicated in the allegation.
It also urged the police to establish which personnel and units were deployed to the Lugbe Federal Housing Estate on August 19, their mandate and the circumstances surrounding the operation.
WSCIJ further called for the preservation and review of deployment records, operational orders, patrol logs, CCTV footage, body-camera footage where available and other evidence capable of establishing what happened.
