The Federal Government has urged Nigerian journalists to reduce the visibility of terrorist and criminal activities on newspaper front pages, calling for reporting that strengthens national stability.
The appeal was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during a two-day national security summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in collaboration with the Department of State Services.
The summit, themed ‘Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building’, brought together media leaders, security chiefs and policy stakeholders to discuss the role of communication in addressing insecurity.
Idris said the government remains committed to press freedom but stressed that editors must exercise restraint in how they present violent crime.
“Yes, we have to do our work, we have to report whatever happens, but you must know that the best reporter, the best editor, is the one that knows what not to report in the interest of nation-building,” he said.
“Please, take these terrorists and criminals off your front pages. This is what they crave for, free of charge.
“It saddens my mind when I see our front pages, when I see our headlines, reporting the activities of these criminals and underplaying the ones by security agencies.”
He argued that national security could be undermined when criminal activity is amplified without balance, warning that misinformation or premature reporting may weaken ongoing operations.
The minister also highlighted government efforts under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including non-kinetic interventions such as education support through the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said currently benefits over 1.3 million students.
Idris added that improved welfare for media workers was being considered, alongside progress in digital broadcasting reforms following the national digital switchover initiative.
Speaking at the same event, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Chido Onumah, said the government recognises the media’s role in informing the public while emphasising the need for structured communication between security agencies and journalists.
He noted plans for a national security communication framework to improve coordination, transparency and crisis reporting, while reducing risks linked to unverified information.
“We are all in this together. Journalists must have access to credible information; security agencies must improve their communication and transparency,” he said.
NUJ President Alhassan Yahya described the summit as an effort to strengthen collaboration between journalists and security institutions in the interest of democracy and public safety.
Other participants included representatives of the International Press Institute and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, alongside senior security officials.
