The International Press Centre, IPC, Lagos-Nigeria, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) hub has decried the remand of a Kano-based journalist, Mr. Muktar Dahiru, of Pyramid FM in prison.
Dahiru was arrested, detained, expeditiously and abysmally charged to court and unfortunately confined behind bars for sharing ‘supposed contents’, assumed offensive by the the State government.
Melody Akinjiyan, Press Freedom Officer, IPC disclosed this is in a statement issued to newsmen.
According to information gathered by the SPJ-hub, Mr. Muktar Dahiru was arrested by the Police on Thursday, August 29, 2024 for an alleged series of content shared on his Facebook page.
Media reports reaching the SPJ-hub further states that, “Muktar Dahiru has been remanded in prison for sharing media content deemed critical of state government officials, including Governor Abba Yusuf and the reinstated emir, Lamido Sanusi.
“Muktar Dahiru was secretly charged before Magistrate Court 24 at Gyadi Gyadi, Court Road, with criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, and intentional insult. The government said the alleged offences contravene sections 97, 391 and 115 of the Penal Code Law,” the report further revealed.
The Executive Director IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement said, “this action is highly condemnable as it constitutes a despicable abuse of power”.
Mr. Arogundade further stated that the journalist ought to have been granted bail in the first instance.
“As it is, it seems he’s being punished without proper trial”, he added.