News
FG Cracking Down on Journalists Citing “National Security” – IJNet

Nigeria is cracking down on journalists and media workers under the guise of national security, International Journalists Network (IJNet), has reported.
According IJNet, which delivers the latest on global media innovation, news apps and tools, training opportunities and expert advice for professional and emerging journalists worldwide, state authorities have detained journalists and held them for questioning.
It also said that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the country’s broadcast industry regulator, has fined and banned outlets.
IJNet said that in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Nigeria 112 out of 180 countries, listing the country among the most challenging for journalists in West Africa.
In August, no fewer than 56 journalists were harassed and attacked during anti-government protests, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“As a journalist practicing in Nigeria, I can confidently say that the environment is far from conducive for journalists to fully exercise their press freedom,” said Kelechi Ekeledo, a reporter at the private broadcaster, Africa Independent Television.
Incidents
In 2022, after airing a documentary about attacks by armed bandits in northwest Nigeria, Trust TV was fined 5 million naira (about US$3,000) by NBC.
The industry regulator said the documentary glorified the activities of bandits and undermined national security.
In a statement, Trust TV said that the documentary was in the public interest as it provided insights into the “intersection of injustice, ethnicity and bad governance as drivers of the conflict,” and its consequences for citizens .
That same year the government also threatened to sanction the BBC for airing a documentary about bandit warlords.
The NBC stated again that the documentary “glorified” the activities of bandits and undermined national security.
In May 2024, Nigerian police arrested Daniel Ojukwu, an investigative journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, after he reported on a government official’s alleged financial misconduct. He spent nine days in detention.
“The average Nigerian journalist is afraid of coming in the way of security agents and agencies and most importantly, the majority of them are aware of national security concerns,” said journalist Charles Otu.
He noted that government authorities have used national security as an excuse to make it harder for journalists to carry out their reporting.
Meanwhile, the country’s cybercrime law, updated earlier this year, continues to be used as a tool to crack down on journalists critical of government policies. Among other provisions, the law stipulates imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 5 million naira (US$3,000), or both, for individuals who access data “vital to national security” from a computer without authorization.
Holding conversations and dialogues
In August, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, an investigative media nonprofit, held its monthly “Journalism & Society Conversations” which brought together stakeholders to discuss press freedom challenges, media legislation and regulatory frameworks, and the pivotal role investigative journalism plays in holding the government accountable – especially at a time when Nigerian journalists are facing harassment and detention from the government.
“Most governments hide under national security to intimidate, harass, arrest and surmount the press,” said Sarah Ayeku, a senior correspondent at a private broadcaster, TVC News.
“We’ve always seen some sort of rivalry between the government and the press.”
It’s important, Ayeku noted, that newsrooms be able to report freely without governmental interference. “We cannot always have the media and the government and the media at loggerheads which we have seen in the past months,” she said.
“When we take a look at what free press should be in a democratic, normal setting, we should be able to report freely and access information without restrictions.”
Otu noted that the media’s efforts to hold government actors to account must take into account legal realities and considerations, for their own safety and wellbeing.
“Due to the multi-dimensional roles of journalists, there’s a need for training and retraining of media practitioners to understand where their rights begin and stop, especially on issues that concern national security,” he suggested.
News
Toll Collection on Lagos-Calabar Highway Begins December

Senator David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has announced that a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled starting in December.
Umahi disclosed this during an interview for a forthcoming State House documentary marking the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “By December, we will toll Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. We project a 10-year return on investment.
“The road has solar-powered lighting and CCTV infrastructure, and offers carbon credit advantages.
“It is more than a road; it is an economic corridor and a catalyst for regional growth.”
According to the minister, 30 kilometres of Section 1 have already been completed, with an additional 10 kilometres in Section 2 nearing delivery. Both segments feature six-lane concrete-paved carriageways, designed to meet modern standards for safety and durability.
Umahi further revealed that construction had commenced on Sections 3 and 3B of the highway, spanning a total of 65 kilometres, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom.
He described the positive response from local communities as a clear indication of the project’s wide-reaching socioeconomic benefits.
“Just days ago, we flagged off Sections 3 and 3B—65 kilometres in total, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. The host communities’ excitement speaks to these projects’ transformative impact,” he said.
Umahi also highlighted the administration’s renewed focus on the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, which he noted was part of a broader vision dating back to colonial-era trade plans.
“The Trans-Saharan trade route dates back to colonial-era planning. President Tinubu is now bringing these long-abandoned visions to life,” the minister explained.
News
Kaspersky Uncovers Dero Crypto Miner Spreading via Exposed Container Environments

Kaspersky Security Services experts have identified a sophisticated cyberattack campaign targeting containerized environments to deploy a miner for the Dero cryptocurrency.
The attackers abuse exposed Docker APIs — parts of Docker, an open-source container development platform. In 2025, there are a significant number of Docker API default ports that are insecurely published, accounting for almost 500 occurrences worldwide on average each month.
In the discovered campaign, cybercriminals inject two types of malwares into the compromised systems: one is the miner itself and the other is a propagation malware that can spread the campaign to other insecure container networks.
Kaspersky experts discovered this malicious campaign as part of a compromise assessment project. According to expert estimates, any organisation that operates containerized infrastructure — while exposing Docker APIs without robust security controls — can be a potential target. These may include technology companies, software development firms, hosting providers, cloud service providers and more enterprises.
According to Shodan, in 2025, there are 485 published Docker API default ports¹ worldwide each month on average. This figure illustrates the campaign’s potential attack surface by tallying the “entry points” — or insecurely exposed ports that attackers might target.
Once attackers identify an insecurely published Docker API, they either compromise existing containers or create new malicious ones based on a legitimate standard Ubuntu image. They then inject two malware types into the compromised containers: “nginx” and “cloud”.
The latter is a Dero cryptocurrency miner, while “nginx” is a malicious software that maintains persistence, ensures execution of the miner and scans for other exposed environments. This malware allows attackers to operate without traditional Command-and-Control (C2) servers; instead, each infected container independently scans the Internet and can spread the miner to new targets.
“The campaign has the potential for exponential growth of infections, with each compromised container acting as a new source of attack, if security measures are not immediately put in place in the potentially targeted networks,” explains Amged Wageh, an incident response and a compromise assessment expert at Kaspersky Security Services.
“Сontainers are foundational to software development, deployment, and scalability. Their widespread use across cloud-native environments, DevOps, and microservices architectures makes them an attractive target for cyber attackers. This growing reliance demands organisations adopt a 360-degree approach to security — combining robust security solutions with proactive threat hunting and regular compromise assessments”.
The attackers embedded the names “nginx” and “cloud” directly in the binary — an inflexible executable file composed of instructions and data for the processor, not for humans. This is a classic masquerading tactic that lets the payload pose as a legitimate tool, trying to deceive both analysts and automated defenses.
News
Manager, Others Arraigned for Allegedly Hacking into Premium Trust Bank’s Server

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, charged five defendants before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of Premium Trust Bank.
The defendants are listed as the bank’s e-payment service manager, Matthew Adeniyi; Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother; Samson Latshin, Bolaji Omotosho and Sunday Okunnola.
They were charged before Justice Alexander Owoeye, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime and unlawful access to the bank’s database.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mrs. Zeenat Atiku, prosecutor, alleged that they committed the offence between April and May this year, in collaboration with three others, now at large.
Those still at large are Isa Ismaila, Victor Joshua, also known as ‘Oracle’ as well as one other, simply identified as Humble.
According to the charge, the first defendant unlawfully disclosed sensitive credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain details, to these parties.
She said this enabled an unauthorised access to the bank’s database and the consequent data breach allegedly resulted in financial gains of $10,000.
The prosecutor also alleged that the defendants attempted to intercept the bank’s network and procured a Hewlett-Packard ProBook 440 G9 laptop (serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G) configured to bypass the bank’s security systems.
The anti-graft agency said the alleged offences contravened the provisions of sections 12(1)(b), 27, 28(1)(b)(c) and 28(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Following their pleas, the prosecutor, requested for a trial date and sought an order to remand the defendants in custody.
Meanwhile, the court declined an oral bail by the defence counsel and directed that a formal bail application be filed.
He adjourned the case until June 30, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian correctional centre, pending bail.
The court, however, added that the defence may apply for an earlier trial date, upon filing their bail applications.
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