Titus Badejo, also known as Eja Nla, was a well-known radio presenter who worked for Naija FM in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He was also an actor and a disc jockey.
He was driving home from a club with friends when two gunmen stopped him and brutally shot him. According to witnesses, the journalist was the only person targeted by the assailants, who quickly left without taking anything from him or the car. At the moment, the murderers remain unidentified by the police.
The motives for the murder of Titus Badejo are still unclear. The Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Oyo State Council has taken action by calling on the police and the government to find and arrest his killers. The union also expressed its concern about “the spate of senseless killings and avoidable deaths”.
Titus Badejo’s murder, which the NUJ describes as "one death too many", takes place in a country considered dangerous for journalists, where media workers are often attacked, arrested, or even killed. Killings of civilians, in general, are frequent and go often unpunished.
Press freedom is also under attack in the country. On 4 June 2021, the government announced that Twitter was banned in Nigeria, seriously undermining freedom of expression and the right to information.
The General Secretary of the IFJ, Anthony Bellanger, said: “We urge the Nigerian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of Titus Badejo and ensure those behind this appalling murder face the full force of the law. Nigeria must protect journalists, and ensure accountability for crime against them to end impunity. The IFJ sends condolences to our colleague’s family and friends.”