Kano journalist accused of ‘insulting’ Abba Yusuf rearrested, remanded in prison

Muktar Dahiru, a journalist, accused of making a Facebook post considered “insulting” to Abba Yusuf, governor of the state, has been rearrested and remanded in prison.

Yusuf Isah, Dahiru’s lawyer, said the journalist was rearrested two days after his release and sent to the Kurmawa correctional facility for failing to perfect some of the bail conditions.

Dahiru, who works with Pyramid FM Kano, a radio station managed by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), was arrested on August 29.

The journalist was said to have been secretly charged with criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, and intentional insult.

Ummah Kurawa, the presiding magistrate, remanded Dahiru in a correctional centre, pending the hearing of the bail application on September 3.

The journalist allegedly shared multiple audio interviews in which opposition politicians criticised the Kano governor.

He was also said to have posted an audio programme in which one person accused Muhammadu Sanusi, the reinstated Emir of Kano, of portraying himself as sympathetic to the poor while living an expensive lifestyle.

At the court session on September 3, the presiding magistrate granted the journalist a N1 million bail and banned him from posting content on social media that may be deemed offensive to the officials of the state government.

The defendant was also asked to provide three sureties, including his wife, the chairperson of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and a reputable individual endorsed by the Kano hisbah board.