In school, we are taught that the media—often described as the Fourth Estate—exists to educate, inform, and serve as a watchdog for society. Yet behind this noble ideal lies a troubling reality: media narratives are frequently shaped by the interests of their proprietors, patrons and editors. Even on deeply sensitive national issues, editorial direction can be swayed by commercial gain, political allegiance, or ethnic loyalties.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, as I discussed in a recent article, starkly illustrates the hypocrisy and bias in global media coverage. Western outlets routinely suppress narratives sympathetic to President Vladimir Putin, just as some Eastern media demonise President Volodymyr Zelensky. Today, journalistic ethics are too often sacrificed for partisan interests. The once-vaunted integrity of global journalism is steadily eroding, compromised by ideological alignment and the influence of sponsors.

Sadly, the Nigerian media is no exception. Ownership and editorial control increasingly dictate which stories are amplified and muted—particularly on issues involving ethnoreligious tension and national security.

I have always found it challenging to watch graphic footage of human brutality. The lynching of Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a Christian student accused of blasphemy in Sokoto in May 2022, remains etched in my memory. Her horrific killing received widespread media coverage, with headlines invoking religion and regional identity—Islam, the North, and Christianity. In sharp contrast, that same month, Harira Jibril, a pregnant Muslim woman, and her four children were murdered in Anambra, allegedly by IPOB militants. This atrocity received scant media attention and, when reported, conspicuously lacked references to her faith or origin. The disparity reveals deep-rooted biases in our media’s treatment of ethnoreligious violence.

A more recent and equally distressing case underscores this troubling trend: the lynching of Northern hunters—predominantly Hausa-speaking Muslims—in Uromi, Edo State, on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The victims, reportedly en route to Kano for Eid al-Fitr celebrations, were travelling in a truck when local vigilantes intercepted them and allegedly found dane guns. This sparked a mob attack. A harrowing video showed the men pleading for mercy as they were beaten and burned alive, while onlookers stood by with chilling indifference.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promptly condemned the killings, describing them as “shocking and unacceptable”, and ordered a thorough investigation and prosecution. He reaffirmed that jungle justice has no place in a civilised society and that all citizens have the right to move freely within the country.

Despite the horror captured on video, most national newspapers downplayed the incident. Shockingly, the atrocity was eclipsed by frivolous matters that received more prominent coverage.

On Saturday, March 29—two days after the lynching—I visited the PRNigeria Centre in Abuja to review the major national dailies. To my dismay, front pages were dominated by paid advertorials celebrating President Tinubu’s 73rd birthday. These glossy tributes, sponsored by political allies and business elites from both the North and South—including High Chief Government Tompolo and Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar—completely overshadowed the tragedy in Uromi.

Most newspapers either buried the story deep within their pages or ignored it entirely. Their front pages focused on far less urgent matters: the death of Humphrey Nwosu, political wrangling in Rivers State, forest reserve issues, and women in leadership.

Only four publications gave the incident the seeming prominence it deserved, with headlines such as: “FG Orders Manhunt as Outrage Trails 16 Edo Travellers’ Lynching,” “Tinubu Orders Manhunt for Killers of Hunters in Edo,” “Edo Killing: Police Arrest 24 as President Orders Manhunt,” and “How 16 Hunters Were Mobbed, Killed in Uromi.”


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/media-narrative-between-tinubus-birthday-and-the-lynching-in-uromi/