The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, SAN, says the Federal Government is set to end impunity for crimes against members of the public including journalists.
Malami revealed this in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu in Abuja on Sunday.
In a message to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Minister said that Nigeria is no longer among the countries with impunity for crimes against journalists.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the day against, is a UN-recognized international day observed annually on Nov. 2.
The day draws attention to the low global conviction rate for violent crimes against journalists and media workers, estimated at only one in every ten case
“The 2020 global index for impunity for crimes against journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), released on Oct. 28 indicated that Nigeria is the only country that came off the index from 2019.
He further said the achievement was as a result of deliberate and committed efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration through the implementation of many reforms in the Nigerian justice sector.
According to him, the reforms included increased access to justice, speedy justice dispensation, decongesting of Nigeria’s correctional centers and judicious implementation of the Criminal Justice Act and Justice Sector reforms.
Malami noted that with the development of information and communication technology and the internet forming veritable tools for mass communication, the government is working to ensure safety of journalists against rhetorical aggression, trolling, incursion of privacy, phishing and cyber attacks.
“With the implementation of the Cybercrime Act 2015, the incidences of cyber related crimes would be minimised.
He however, urged journalists to adhere strictly to the ethics of their profession and refrain from misinformation and fake news.
