Legal luminary Femi Falana has called on the media to intensify advocacy for the reopening of unresolved murder cases nationwide.

Mr Falana made the call at an interactive session on the topic, “The Role of Media in Promoting People’s Rights, Accountability and Access to Justice in the Context of Growing Insecurity in Nigeria”, organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in Ikeja on Saturday.

Mr Falana urged the media to use their platforms to demand justice for victims of extrajudicial killings and other abuses, noting that several high-profile cases had been abandoned without accountability.

He said that the media must not allow such cases to be forgotten.

Mr Falana cited instances of killings in Lagos allegedly involving policemen, saying that some murder cases had not been revisited in spite of public outcry.

He listed cases deserving reopening to include the alleged murder of Sylvester Oromoni, a student of Dowen College, Lagos, and the Offa bank robbery of 2018 in Kwara.

He also listed the murder of Kudurat Abiola, the wife of Chief MKO Abiola, among the cases, as well as the murder of six traders at Owode Onirin Market in Lagos State, in August 2025.

He said that the media should follow up on rights-violation cases until they are resolved, as part of its watchdog function.

The human rights activist said that the media had not adequately invoked the Freedom of Information Act to seek and obtain information that would promote accountability, justice and good governance.

He urged media managers not to sacrifice professionalism for commercial gains through wraparound advertisements.

Mr Falana said that such a practice undermined public trust.

“The media must not sacrifice truth and objectivity on the altar of commercial gains,” he said.

He emphasised that the media had a constitutional duty to hold the government accountable and to defend citizens’ rights.

Mr Falana urged journalists to prioritise public interest reporting and resist pressure that could weaken their watchdog role.

He highlighted the importance of regional human rights mechanisms, saying that Nigerians could seek justice beyond national borders.

He urged the federal government to strengthen the institutions responsible for justice delivery and to ensure that victims of rights violations would receive justice in a timely manner.

Mr Falana also called for greater collaboration between civil society organisations and the media to promote accountability and protect citizens’ rights.

He reiterated that the fight against human rights violations required sustained efforts from all stakeholders, including the media, lawyers and human rights campaigners. 

(NAN)