Incident
Nigeria's military government convicts journalists by special tribunal over coup-plot reporting
A special military tribunal convicted four Nigerian journalists as accessories to a supposed 1995 coup plot after they reported on it, sentencing them to lengthy prison terms with no right of appeal, under the military government of General Sani Abacha.1234
What happened
In March 1995, Nigeria's military government, led by General Sani Abacha, announced it had uncovered a coup plot and arrested dozens of soldiers and civilians, including former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo. Journalists Kunle Ajibade, Chris Anyanwu, George Mbah and Ben Charles-Obi had reported on the alleged plot; the government said their reporting exposed security information and cast doubt on the coup allegation. A Special Military Tribunal, a panel of military officers with no requirement to observe ordinary court procedure or allow appeal, tried the journalists alongside the alleged plotters and convicted them as "accessories after the fact to treason." Ajibade received a life sentence, later commuted to 15 years; Anyanwu received 15 years; Mbah and Charles-Obi received 15 years each. One tribunal official said the prosecutions were meant "to deter others from the irresponsibilities of Nigerian journalism." The Committee to Protect Journalists said the case was part of a broader campaign using indefinite detention, secret military trials and violence against Nigeria's independent press.1234
What reason was given
Stated justificationA security official told one journalist the story "had caused some security problems and discredited the government's coup allegation"; a tribunal official said the prosecutions were meant "to deter others from the irresponsibilities of Nigerian journalism."23
What changed for reporting
Four journalists received prison terms of up to 15 years with no right of appeal for reporting on a coup allegation the government itself had announced, part of what CPJ called "a calculated, and almost successful, campaign to decimate" Nigeria's independent press.1234
Timeline
1995
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Anyanwu | other | Editor-in-chief, The Sunday Magazine |
| Kunle Ajibade | other | Editor, The News magazine |
| Sani Abacha | ordered | Head of State of Nigeria |
Sources
- Outliving Abacha: Six Nigerian journalists' prison stories
- Freed journalist Chris Anyanwu calls for democracy
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- The tribunal convicted the journalists as accessories after the fact to treason for their reporting.
were convicted as 'accessories after the fact to treason' for reporting on an alleged coup plot.
Outliving Abacha: Six Nigerian journalists' prison stories, Committee to Protect Journalists, 1999-03-01.Claim 246, checked 2026-09-22. - A tribunal official said the convictions were meant to deter other Nigerian journalists.
We like making scapegoats to deter others from the irresponsibilities of Nigerian journalism.
Outliving Abacha: Six Nigerian journalists' prison stories, Committee to Protect Journalists, 1999-03-01.Claim 247, checked 2026-09-22. - A security official said the reporting had caused security problems and discredited the coup allegation.
the story had caused some security problems and discredited the government's coup allegation.
Outliving Abacha: Six Nigerian journalists' prison stories, Committee to Protect Journalists, 1999-03-01.Claim 248, checked 2026-09-22. - Chris Anyanwu was released from prison in mid-1998 on medical grounds.
released in June 1998 on medical grounds,
Freed journalist Chris Anyanwu calls for democracy, IFEX, 1998-07-01.Claim 249, checked 2026-09-22.