Edmund Burke is believed to have first used the term “Fourth Estate of the Realm” to describe print journalism during a parliamentary debate in Britain in 1787. At that time, there were only three traditional estates of the realm in the British Parliament - the Lord Spiritual, the Lord Temporal and the Commons. However, in order to drive home an important element outside the traditional power structure and branches of government, Burke referred to the gallery where reporters sat as the fourth estate of the realm.
He described journalists as the conscience of democracy and symbol of a free society, where the fundamental rights of citizens must be exercised without fear or inhibition. The media has since evolved so much so that an attack on free press is an attack on democracy, which must be roundly resisted.

For several years, even during military regimes, Nigeria is known to have had a relatively active press with very little censorship. The media has become robust and keeps evolving on positive scale since the return of democracy in 1999. Even though President Muhammadu Buhari has been repeatedly derided by sections of the media, he has never ordered a clamp down on the press. Such is the beauty of democracy. However recent attack on press freedom by the EFCC represents a clear departure from the norms, a very dangerous trend, and a fundamental threat to democracy.

Particularly, the illegal invasion of the Sun Newspaper by the EFCC is a clear demonstration that Magu has taken the “corruption war” beyond the mandate of the law and constitutional responsibility of the Commission. Indeed he has become a lord unto himself. This is because impeding press freedom the way Magu has so far done is a direct affront on democracy and must be resisted by well meaning Nigerians, including human right groups, lawyers and the media.

As widely reported, Magu’s attack on the Sun is connected to a personal grouse he has with some journalists who are about publishing some damaging reports on his shady activities while he was Head of Operations under Ibrahim Lamorde, including ongoing investigation into a multi-million naira Abuja property traceable to his wife.

Interestingly, the Sun Newspaper is not the only media house Magu has penned down for attack. Reliable sources within the Commission who begged for anonymity disclosed that Thisday Newspaper and two other newspaper houses may sooner or later face the wrath of Magu who has concluded plans to shut them down indefinitely. Magu is said not to be working alone on this, as he is being assisted by his cronies in reputable media organizations in the country. These cronies who are on the payroll of the EFCC boss have obviously sold their hearts to the devil, as they align with Magu to destroy the very institution they represent.

The truth is that time has come for President Muhammadu Buhari to take a decisive action on Magu. This is the first time a media house will be directly invaded in the manner which Magu has done, thereby worsening the administration’s human right record. At a time human right issues in the country have come under intense scrutiny from the international community, such tyrannical behaviour must not be condoned, but decisively dealt with.

Freedom of the press remains the strongest testimony of Nigeria’s democracy. Therefore, human rights groups, including the media and all lovers of democracy and even the government must rise and put a stop to Magu’s excesses and tyrannical behaviour which are threatening our collective liberty.

We don’t have to wait till irredeemable damage is done before we rise and protect our hard-earned democracy from impostors like Ibrahim Magu who has now constituted himself as nuance to our collective freedom and wellbeing.
Enough is Enough!

https://vigil360.com.ng/exclusive-report/620-ibrahim-magu-and-his-illegal-invasion-of-sun-newspaper.html

So Magu folo corrupt?