by Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu
ABUJA — Nigeria’s police chief has urged journalists to put accuracy ahead of speed in reporting security matters as the country heads toward the 2027 general elections, warning that misinformation can inflame tensions while responsible reporting can save lives.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu made the appeal on Wednesday at a one-day workshop on “Responsible Security Reporting Ahead of the 2027 Elections,” organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council.
Represented by AIG Akaninyene Ezimma, director in charge of the National Cybercrime Centre, Mr. Disu described election security as a shared responsibility between law enforcement and the media.
“The media has the power to shape how Nigerians understand what is happening around them,” he said. “That power must be exercised with responsibility.”
He cautioned that photographs, old videos, fabricated statements and AI-generated content can spread quickly and stoke fear and confrontation. He urged reporters to follow the maxim “Stop! Check! Confirm! Report!” and to resist the pressure to be first at the expense of being right.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, represented by DCP Ibrahim Jibrin, echoed the call and pledged that the police would remain accessible to legitimate media inquiries while protecting operational integrity.
“Responsible security reporting can calm tension, promote public understanding and support security operations,” he said. “Inaccurate, unverified or sensational reporting, on the other hand, can unintentionally create fear, panic and distrust.”
Comrade Grace Ike, chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, said the workshop theme, “Responsible Security Reporting in the Age of Citizen Journalism: Protecting Nigeria’s Stability Ahead of the 2027 Elections,” reflected the need to balance public information against the duty to avoid harm.
She said the training aimed to strengthen security correspondents’ ability to verify and contextualise information, apply ethical and legal standards under pressure, and work constructively with security agencies without compromising independence or the public interest.
Ms. Ike listed verification of eyewitness material, contextual reporting, source protection, ethical restraint and digital literacy for spotting deepfakes and manipulated media among participants’ priorities.
“As the NUJ FCT Council, we pledge our support to journalists undertaking this demanding beat,” she said. “We will continue to advocate for professional safety, access to training, legal protections and mental-health support for reporters exposed to traumatic scenes.”
She also called on security agencies “to engage transparently with the media and to respect press freedom while working to preserve public safety.”
In a goodwill message, Lawrence Alobi, a retired commissioner of police, called for expanded digital-literacy campaigns, stronger fact-checking, transparent communication and ethical guidelines for citizen journalists covering sensitive security matters.
Resource persons, including a former NUJ chairman, Abduljelil Adebayo, and Busola Ajibola, deputy director of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), stressed the need to distinguish clearly between unofficial claims and official results, label unverified material, avoid sensational headlines that could inflame ethnic or religious tensions, and protect vulnerable sources.
They also urged newsrooms to invest in verification workflows, fact-checking resources and mental-health support for reporters covering traumatic events.
Organisers said the workshop was designed to strengthen ties between security agencies and the press, so that journalists know where to obtain authoritative information while the police build trust through transparency. They added that the training would help ensure that reporting contributes to peaceful democratic participation as Nigeria approaches the 2027 polls.
