By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

Police in Zaria has arrested and detained Malam Mustapha Yauri, Zaria District Correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He was arrested while taking a photograph of a trailer that blocked the Samaru-Kwangila flyover road in a protest against Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) by trailer drivers on Tuesday afternoon.

Narrating his ordeal to newsmen, the NAN Correspondent said he had conducted interviews with some eyewitnesses and proceeded to the main scene where the trailer blocked the road to take photographs when a police officer in mufti attempted to seize the phone but he declined to release the phone.

Mustapha said he went further to show the man his identity card and the police officer immediately seized the ID card and called some armed police men, directing them to take the NAN Correspondent to the police station to detain. He said the three armed police officers acted swiftly, jerking his trousers and pushing him into their waiting truck.

He added that while on their way to the station in the police Hilux truck the armed police men forcefully collected his mobile phone and dropped him at Sabongari Divisional Police Office.

He said he was detained at the police station for many hours before the DPO, Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, called him into his office, apologised for what happened and subsequently released him from detention, releasing his mobile phone and NAN staff identity card.

Yauri’s colleague, Sani Zaria, New Nigerian Newspapers correspondent in Zaria, when contacted, said the Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, was alerted by executives of Nigeria Union of Journalists and the NAN Area Manager in Kaduna.

“The journalist was released following the immediate intervention of the PPRO,” he said.

Calls and text messages made to the PPRO by our correspondent are yet to be responded to as at the time of filing this report.