Three Nigerien journalists working for the private radio station, Sahara FM, in Agadez, northern Niger, have been arrested.

The radio broadcasters were arrested after they reported that security contracts between Niger and Russia have ended.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned this high-handed arrest, which has become a pattern in Niger.

Journalists Hamid Mahmoud, acting editor-in-chief of Sahara FM, Mahaman Sani, news presenter, and Massaouda Jaharou were all arrested on 7 May.

“Sahara FM had aired, on Wednesday, news of a breach of intelligence contracts between Niger and Russia, and the police arrested them the same day,” said Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, the Head of Air Infor Media, owner of Sahara FM.

The three journalists appeared in court and were released by a judge. However, they were all re-arrested on 10 May.

Media freedom in Niger has been severely suppressed, since the military took over the country in 2023. Journalists have been arrested and detained frequently for ‘broadcasting content’ relating to the military. There has been a systematic pattern of suppression in Niger over the past two years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday called on Nigerien officials to free three Sahara FM radio journalists.

According to CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative Moussa Ngom, the ongoing detentions of journalists highlights a growing trend of censorship concerning security issues in Niger.

“Nigerien authorities must stop criminalizing journalism, immediately release all three of the Sahara FM journalists, and allow them to return to their newsroom,” Ngom said.