Foremost civil society organization, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned the Kano State Government over the arbitrary arrest and illegal detention in prison of a journalist with Radio Nigeria, Pyramid FM Kano, Muktar Dahiru, in Kano who was remanded in prison for sharing media content which is believed to be critical of Kano State government officials which include Governor Abba Yusuf and Lamido Sanusi who was reinstated as Emir.

HURIWA said the action of the Kano State government is unconstitutional, illegally, arbitrary, despicable and absolutely unacceptable because the journalist was well within his constitutional mandate as a media practitioner and the conscience of the nation to share information that are verifiable and that constitute effective check and balances on the public actions of elected and appointed public officials. HURIWA quoted sections 22 and 39 of the constitution to totally reject the resort to self-help by the officials of the Kano state government who are behind the ordeals of the journalist.

HURIWA quoted media report as stating that the journalist Mr. Dahiru, was arrested by the police and remanded in a correctional facility on Thursday over allegation of sharing Facebook content which is considered offensive by the state government.

It would be recalled that in a series of posts, Dahiru shared a broadcast audio interview with an opposition politician who accused Governor Yusuf of corruption.

On the audio, the opposition politician challenged the governor to give federal anti-corruption agencies the free hand to probe the Novomed scandal instead of the state anti-corruption agency.

Novomed Pharmaceutical, which is owned by Musa Kwankwakso, a younger brother of the former governor, Rabiu Kwankwakso, is under investigation over a contract with the state government.

In another video post, Dahiru shared a radio programme by the governor’s political adviser, Anas Abba-Dala, who speculated that Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, is not a Nigerian.

HURIWA recalled that the political adviser to the governor, Abba-Dala, complained against Dahiru to the police that in a Facebook post, called him an illiterate and that he tarnished his image by stating he impregnated a woman out of wedlock.

Meanwhile, the magistrate, Ummah Kurawa, ordered Dahiru be remanded in a correctional facility until 3 September for a bail application hearing.

Reacting to the detention of the journalist on the orders of Kano state administration, the HURIWA through the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, carpeted the government for acting in such a manner that flagrantly violated the constitutionally protected fundamental freedoms such as freedoms of information and right to freedom of movement.

The Rights group wondered how such a state administration formed by a minority political party (NNPP) which is in opposition to the behemoth controlling the central government which is the All Progressives Congress (APC) is also as power drunk as the National ruling party just as the Rights group urged the Kano state governor to order the immediate release of the unjustly detained radio journalist in Kano and be predisposed to accepting criticisms.

HURIWA cited Section 39 of the constitution which guarantees the right to freedom of expression provides as follows:

Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impact ideas and information without interference.

Without prejudice to the generality of Subsection (1) of this section, every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions, provided that no person, other than the government of the federation or a state, or any other person or body authorized by the president on fulfillment of a condition laid down by an Act of National Assembly, shall own, establish or operate a television or wireless broadcasting station for any purpose whatsoever.

Besides, HURIWA affirmed that Section 22 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides thus: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.”

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