Peoples Gazette

Peoples Gazette is a Nigerian online newspaper. based in Abuja. It launched in 2020. The online medium is notable for Investigative journalism among other fields.

Launching
Peoples Gazette was launched in 2020 by Samuel Ogundipe, an investigative journalist who was arrested and detained by the Nigerian government for reporting undesirable stories about the Muhammadu Buhari administration. . He left Premium Times in 2020 to start his own paper. In one week of its launch, it reported groundbreaking exclusive reports that became issues of national discussion

Attacks and Censorship
On January 26, 2021 the newspaper had its website blocked across all telecommunication networks in Nigeria, this blockage Peoples Gazette stated was based on a directive from the Nigerian government as a result of an unfavourable publication it wrote indicting the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Gambari of delegating his son to take over the duty of his office even without security clearance to do so.

A forensic analysis conducted by Qurium Media Foundation in Sweden indicated that users in Nigeria were unable to access the domain of the newspaper because access to it was tampered with by telecommunication networks.

The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Reporters Without Borders condemned the clamped down on Peoples Gazette describing it as an obstruction of citizens right to information and press freedom.

Major breaking reports
Following the mass protest across Nigeria against police brutality in October 2020, named EndSARS which led to the Lekki Massacre, the paper was the first to report the disbandment of the brutal police unit known as SARS. four hours before the announcement was officially made. The paper also exclusively reported the decision of the Nigerian government to clampdown on individuals who participated in the EndSARS protest by freezing their bank accounts through the Central Bank of Nigeria, notable newspapers such as The Punch, Vanguard (Nigeria), Nigerian Tribune and P.M. News cited it as the source for their publications. .

In March, 2021, the paper reported exclusively, the move by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Bola Tinubu by writing to the Code of Conduct Bureau to demand for his asset declaration file which he submitted as governor of Lagos state. The report generated a nationwide discussion on attempts by some individuals within the Nigerian Presidency to entrap Bola Tinubu in other to ensure he doesn't contest for the 2023 presidential election, several newspaper like The Punch, P.M. News, Sahara Reporters and Linda Ikeji cited the paper as the source of their publication. .

The platform also broke the story of the Code of Conduct investigation of the sacked Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Ibrahim Magu.

In April 2021, the platform published video, audio and transcript of the preaching of Nigeria's Minister for Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami also known as Isa Pantami. In the publication series, the Minister pronounced his support for terrorist organisations such as Taliban and Al-Qaeda saying “Oh God, give victory to the Taliban and to al-Qaeda". Pantami called for all Muslim brothers in the country to embark on Jihad saying "jihad is an obligation for every single believer, especially in Nigeria" while expressing joy when unbelievers are killed saying “We are all happy whenever unbelievers are being killed, but the Sharia does not allow us to kill them without a reason.”

The publications birthed the call by thousands of Nigerians on Twitter calling for the dismissal or resignation of the Minister.

A notable columnist Farooq Kperogi has written several times in his column on Nigerian Tribune on the credibility of the news platform

Awards and Nominations
In April 2021, One World Media longlisted Peoples Gazette for the Special Award, an award category that recognises outstanding reporting that informs the public, provides an outlet for local people’s voices, creates a space for critical information and holds those in power to account.

The newspaper became the third of any Nigerian newspaper to be so nominated by the U.K based non-profit organisation.