Rights group urges FG to probe radio presenter, Titus Badejo’s murder

A rights group, ARTICLE 19, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to undertake an impartial and thorough investigation into the gruesome murder of a journalist, Titus Badejo, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and bring the perpetrators to book.

Badejo, former presenter and On-Air Personality (OAP) with Naija FM, was on Saturday, June 19 murdered by unknown gunmen while he was leaving a club around 11:30 pm with his friends.

Badejo was reportedly ordered to stop his car after which the unknown gunmen asked all passengers to lie down on the ground before shooting him dead.
According to reports, no one else was shot and the gunmen took nothing from the car. Speaking on the incident, Deputy Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 West Africa, Bulakali Alfred Nkuru, said: “The murder of Titus Badejo is a heinous crime. The circumstances of this murder suggest that he was targeted. Nigerian authorities should do their uttermost to swiftly investigate this crime and bring culprits into account. The culture of impunity must end now.”

According to the group, the killing of journalists reinforces the climate of fear and has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the country.

Nkuru added: “The last murder of journalist in the country occurred in October 2020 with ARTICLE 19 report highlighting two cases of killing. Since those murders took place no one has been held responsible for these crimes.

“Most recently in May 2021, the journalist Peter Nkanga, human rights activist and member of AfricTivistes was victim of death threat since the publication of the documentary, BBC News Africa ‘Nigeria’s Ordinary President’.

“Impunity helps build a breeding ground for recurrent crimes against journalists in Nigeria, undermining the freedom of media and the rights to freedom of expression and access to information for the public. Nigerian authorities must now show that they care for the safety of journalists by tracking down the perpetrators of this killing and previous attacks and bringing them to justice.

“They must also take concrete measures to put an end to the pattern of attacks against journalists and the media,” Nkuru added.