# Press Freedom in Nigeria: A Historical Overview

> Nigerian press freedom has moved between periods of relative openness and severe repression: military decrees jailed journalists in 1984, editor Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb in 1986, and the Abacha government shut major newspapers in 1994. The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders continue to document detentions and attacks, with RSF ranking Nigeria 122nd of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.

**Category:** Media & Journalism · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/press-freedom-in-nigeria

## Key facts
- **Decree No. 4 of 1984:** Public Officers (Protection Against False Accusation) Decree; jailed journalists Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor of The Guardian
- **Dele Giwa killed:** 19 October 1986, parcel bomb, Ikeja, Lagos — case remains unsolved (CPJ)
- **Major 1994 closures:** The Guardian, Punch and Concord groups shut down by the Abacha government (Human Rights Watch)
- **NUJ founded:** 15 March 1955, Lagos
- **2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index rank:** 122nd of 180 countries (down from 112th in 2024)
- **CPJ 2024 global prison census:** over 100 new journalist jailings recorded worldwide
- **As of:** 24 July 2026

## Sources
- Guardian journalists jailed 1 year — Talking Drums Magazine (9 July 1984 issue archive) (http://talkingdrumsmagazine.com/1984-07-09/journalists.html)
- When the sun set in Nigeria: Dele Giwa's unsolved murder — Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (https://cpj.org/2009/10/nigerian-editor-dele-giwas-unsolved-murder/)
- Parcel Bomb Kills Nigerian Journalist Accused of Plotting — The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/20/world/parcel-bomb-kills-nigerian-journalist-accused-of-plotting.html)
- Africa Overview 1994 (World Report 1995) — Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/WR95/AFRICA-07.htm)
- IPI Nigeria members to gather in Abuja as Nigeria's press freedom ranking worsens — Premium Times (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/839992-ipi-nigeria-members-to-gather-in-abuja-as-nigerias-press-freedom-ranking-worsens.html)
- Nigeria Archives — Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (https://cpj.org/africa/nigeria/)
- Attacks on the Press in 2024 — Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (https://cpj.org/2025/01/attacks-on-the-press-in-2024/)
- Nigeria — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (https://rsf.org/en/country/nigeria)

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