A New York-based journalist has become the face of shrinking press freedom in Nigeria

On Tuesday, Nov. 12 Nigerian state security officers were reported to have fired live rounds of bullets at protesters and activists demanding the release of a New York-based Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore and other detained activists, according to media reports. It was the latest sign of a Nigerian government which has started to clamp down on press freedom and regulating online debate. Back in the summer of 2017, the Sowore and I, we were glued to the TV in the Sahara Reporters’ news room in New York City watching as Nnamdi Kanu, the rebel leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, spoke to his followers.