An Abuja-based journalist and Editor of Pinnacle Daily, Sunday Michael Ogwu, has accused officers attached to the Lugbe Police Division and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria of assaulting him while he documented a demolition exercise in Lugbe.
According to The Guardian, the incident allegedly occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, around the new site gate of the Federal Housing Authority in Lugbe Federal Housing Estate.
Ogwu alleged that the officers objected to his recording of the public exercise, seized his mobile phone and ordered him to delete the videos.
He said he explained that journalists did not require permission to document an operation conducted in public, but his response allegedly angered the officers.
Journalist Alleges Cable Beating
Ogwu claimed that a senior officer supervising the operation directed other personnel to beat him with an electric cable.
“I was given several strokes with an electric cable on the instruction of a senior officer leading the patrol team. I was given about 10 strokes before I was asked to leave,” he said.
The journalist alleged that his phone was eventually returned and he was ordered to leave the area.
However, after walking away from the scene, he reportedly began a live video to narrate what had happened.
Ogwu said the officers noticed him recording again and returned, claiming that the Divisional Police Officer had ordered them to bring him back.
Photographs and videos later shared by the journalist reportedly showed injuries on his back and damage to the screen of his mobile phone.
He maintained that documenting a demolition exercise conducted in full public view was not a criminal offence.
FICAN Condemns Alleged Assault
The Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria condemned the alleged attack, describing it as a violation of press freedom and citizens’ rights.
FICAN warned that such conduct could undermine public confidence in law-enforcement institutions and revive memories of the police brutality associated with the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The association demanded a transparent investigation, disciplinary action against any police officers or vigilante members found culpable, payment of Ogwu’s medical expenses, compensation for his damaged phone and a formal apology.
It stressed that journalists and other citizens have a right to document the conduct of public officials, subject to lawful restrictions.
“Journalism is not a crime,” the association stated.
The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom also condemned the alleged assault and called for accountability. The coalition claimed that Ogwu was assaulted twice after officers noticed that he had resumed recording the operation.
FCT Police Orders Investigation
In a subsequent development, the FCT Police Command said Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi had ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations and directed that anyone found culpable should face disciplinary action.
The Command invited Ogwu to its headquarters to make a formal statement and provide evidence relating to his allegations.
Police spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh claimed that the journalist had previously failed to honour invitations. Ogwu, however, disputed that account, saying he had not received a formal invitation before the police issued its statement and that he was consulting his lawyers about meeting the authorities.
Adeh had earlier questioned whether the officers involved belonged to the FCT Police Command, stating that the Command did not ordinarily participate in demolition exercises.
The allegations remain under investigation, and no official finding has established responsibility for the alleged assault.
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