Journalists harassed in Nigeria

Date: 2003

Region: Africa

Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion

Medium: Print Journalism


Artist: Jeff Koinange and Simon Matiri

Confronting Bodies: Nigerian secret police

Date of Action: October 2003

Location: Nigeria

Description of Artwork: Work of varying issues produced by foriegn journalists or international organizations.

The Incident: Nigerian secret police threatened to deport two foriegn journalists, Jeff Kionange, the west African bureau chief of CNN, and his cameraman, Simon Matiri. Koinange and Matiri were held for several hours on arrival at Lagos' International Airport. The two men were approached by a group of police and immigration officials who told them that they were to leave on the next flight from Nigeria. Matiri was slapped to the ground when he tried to videotape the incident.

Results of Incident: The journalists were allowed to stay in the country. According to Koinange, "at least they corrected it quickly, and it was good to see that." The Nigerian government is still trying to improve its reputation for freedom of press violations.

Source: www.nytimes.com