The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has called on journalists to prioritise verification and restraint in security reporting ahead of the 2027 general elections. He made the call at a one-day capacity-building workshop on “Responsible Security Reporting Ahead of the 2027 Elections,” organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council. Disu emphasised that responsible journalism can save lives while misinformation can inflame tensions.
Represented by the Director in charge of the National Cybercrime Centre, AIG Akaninyene Ezimma, Disu noted that election security is a shared responsibility between law enforcement and the media. He warned about the speed at which false information now spreads, citing photographs, old videos, fabricated statements and AI-generated content as potential sources of fear and confrontation.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, also echoed the call for verification, adding that the police would remain accessible and responsive to legitimate media inquiries while protecting operational integrity. Sanusi, represented by DCP Ibrahim Jibrin, stated that responsible security reporting can calm tension, promote public understanding and support security operations.
In her welcome address, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, described the workshop theme as a call to balance public information with the duty to avoid harm. She outlined the objectives of the training, including strengthening the capacity of security correspondents to verify and contextualise information, apply ethical and legal standards under pressure, and collaborate constructively with security agencies.
Ike listed key priorities for participants, including verification techniques for eyewitness material, contextual reporting, source protection, principled collaboration with security agencies, ethical restraint and digital literacy to identify deepfakes and manipulated media. The NUJ FCT Council pledged its support to journalists undertaking this demanding beat, advocating for professional safety, access to training, legal protections and mental-health support.
Retired Commissioner of Police Lawrence Alobi and other resource persons called for expanded digital-literacy campaigns, stronger fact-checking, transparent communication and ethical guidelines for citizen journalists covering sensitive security matters. They stressed the need to distinguish clearly between unofficial claims and official results, label unverified material, and protect vulnerable sources.
The workshop aimed to strengthen ties between security agencies and the press, ensuring journalists know where to obtain authoritative information while the police build trust through transparency. The training is expected to help ensure that reporting contributes to peaceful democratic participation, rather than undermining it, as Nigeria heads into the 2027 polls.
Key points
- The Nigerian police and NUJ FCT are promoting responsible security reporting to prevent misinformation ahead of the 2027 elections.
- Journalists are being urged to prioritise verification and restraint in their reporting to avoid inflaming tensions.
- The workshop aims to strengthen ties between security agencies and the press to promote peaceful democratic participation.
