The National Service Scheme (NSS) has obtained a 10-day court injunction to halt the publication of an investigative series by The Fourth Estate. The first installment of the series was scheduled for release on December 3, 2024.
Just hours before the anticipated publication, a court bailiff served the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) the organization behind The Fourth Estate with the High Court order.
The injunction restrains The Fourth Estate and its affiliates from publishing any reports related to the NSS. According to the court document:
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Defendant/Respondents, its privies, servants, agents, assigns and interested parties are hereby restrained from putting out any purported investigative report concerning the Plaintiff/Applicant and its staff until their side of the subject matter of the investigations is heard and included in the said report.”
On November 29, 2024, The Fourth Estate announced plans to release a series of exposés on the NSS starting this week. However, on December 2, the NSS filed an ex parte application for the injunction, which was granted without prior notice to The Fourth Estate.
The investigative series is expected to address critical issues within the NSS, but the injunction raises concerns about press freedom and the ability of investigative journalists to hold public institutions accountable.
