Group accuses Police of shifting focus from alleged assault on editor Ogwu, demands independent probe

The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has accused the FCT Police Command of shifting attention from the alleged assault of Pinnacle Daily Editor, Sunday Ogwu, to his conduct following the incident, describing the development as an attempt to divert attention from the substantive allegations.

The Coalition, in a follow-up statement issued on Saturday, renewed its call for an independent investigation into the alleged assault of Ogwu by police and Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) personnel during an operation in Lugbe, Abuja, on August 19.

The demand followed a statement issued by the FCT Police Command on Friday through its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, which criticised Ogwu for allegedly declining invitations to appear before the Command and for seemingly attempting to mobilise public sentiment and create undue pressure.

But CWPPF said the police statement failed to address the central issues raised by the journalist, including the alleged physical assault, use of an electric cable and destruction of his mobile phone.

“The Command’s 21 August statement does not address the substance of Mr Ogwu’s allegation. It does not confirm or deny that he was assaulted, does not identify the officers involved, and does not address the use of an electric cable or the destruction of his phone,” the Coalition said.

Instead, it said, the Command had focused “almost entirely” on Ogwu’s non-attendance at its headquarters.

CWPPF said Ogwu reported the incident personally to the FCT Police spokesperson at about 8:30 p.m. on August 19, approximately three hours after the alleged assault, before seeking legal advice and support from press-freedom organisations.

The Coalition argued that consulting lawyers and media-rights organisations before making a formal statement to the same police command allegedly involved in the incident was a reasonable precaution rather than an attempt to obstruct an investigation.

It further raised questions over conflicting accounts concerning the identity of the security personnel involved in the operation.

According to the Coalition, the FCT Police spokesperson had shortly after the incident told the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), a member of CWPPF, that the officers involved were likely not under the FCT Command.

It said the Command’s subsequent statement had neither repeated nor clarified the claim.

CWPPF also cited an account attributed to the Lugbe Divisional Police Officer, CSP Ukorobo Uchenna C., who, when contacted by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), allegedly did not deny that an assault occurred but asked whether Ogwu had personally seen or spoken to him.

The Coalition said the response raised questions about the identity of the officers rather than addressing whether an assault occurred.

It also pointed to a separate publication by the Lugbe Community Security Committee which reportedly praised the Commissioner of Police and identified CSP Uchenna as having led an operation in the area on the same date.

According to CWPPF, the publication described the operation as an anti-drug exercise, while Ogwu and the Coalition had described it as a demolition operation.

The Coalition said the conflicting accounts made an independent investigation necessary.

“Taken together, CWPPF is concerned that the substantive allegation of assault risks being displaced by a competing narrative about the complainant’s conduct,” it said.

The Coalition further disclosed that Ogwu had sought medical attention for injuries allegedly sustained during the incident and was therefore unable to honour the police invitation.

It said the journalist had, however, committed to appearing before the Command on Monday, August 24, accompanied by his lawyers.

CWPPF said an investigation conducted entirely within the police command implicated in the allegation would create an “inherent perception problem”, irrespective of the intentions of individual officers.

It therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the FCT Police Command to move the investigation to an independent mechanism outside the direct command structure implicated in the allegation.

The Coalition also demanded the public identification of the officers and unit deployed to the Lugbe Federal Housing Estate operation on August 19 and a reconciliation of that information with the earlier statement that the personnel involved might not have been under FCT Command.

It further called for the preservation and production of deployment records, operational orders, patrol vehicle logs and any available CCTV or body-camera footage relating to the operation.

CWPPF demanded an apology and full compensation for Ogwu’s allegedly destroyed mobile device, as well as payment of medical expenses arising from the incident.

It also urged the police to refrain from publicly characterising Ogwu’s conduct until the allegations against the officers involved had been transparently investigated.

The Coalition called for clear directives to all police divisions in the FCT affirming journalists’ right to document public operations without obstruction, seizure of equipment or physical harm.

“Journalism is not a crime, and documenting the public conduct of state agents is a constitutionally protected right, which has been judicially affirmed,” CWPPF said.

The Coalition comprises media, civil society and legal organisations, including Premium Times, Daily Trust, ICIR, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Union of Journalists, International Press Institute Nigeria, SERAP and other organisations.

It said it would continue monitoring the matter and support what it described as a credible, transparent and independent process capable of producing a satisfactory resolution.