The Association of Kano Online Journalists (ASKOJ) and the Kano Times Editorial Board have condemned the arrest and harassment of journalists Buhari Abba, publisher of Kano Times, and Ismail Auwal, calling it a “direct assault on press freedom” and demanding immediate action from Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Abba and Auwal were detained by the Kano State Police Command on March 24, 2024, following a complaint by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waya, over an opinion article published on Kano Times.
The article, titled “Dear Gov. Yusuf, Beware of Kano Information Commissioner Ibrahim Waiya by Ismail Auwal, criticized Waya’s official conduct. Police reportedly pressured Abba to disclose the identity and address of the article’s author, a demand ASKOJ described as “blatant intimidation” and a violation of constitutional press freedoms.
ASKOJ, in a press release, revealed that Abba was held for questioning at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) before being released on bail after legal intervention. The association accused Waya of “misusing state power to silence journalists” despite his past advocacy work in civil society.
“This persecution undermines the role of the press as society’s watchdog,” said ASKOJ Chairman Yakubu Salisu, urging Governor Yusuf to rein in his appointees and halt further “oppression of journalists.”
Echoing these concerns, the Kano Times Editorial Board, in a separate statement, demanded that Governor Yusuf address the “dangerous trend” of weaponizing law enforcement against critics. The Board emphasized that the arrest sets a chilling precedent for media freedom in Kano, warning that “a government intolerant of scrutiny risks losing public trust.”
The duo calls for an immediate end to harassment of journalists and misuse of police resources and urged Governor Yusuf to publicly reaffirm his commitment to press freedom.
They added that all charges against the journalists must be dropped and officials targeting journalists must be held accountable.
Kano Times editorial urged Yusuf to “protect the rights of the people,” stressing that history will judge leaders by their defense of democratic principles. ASKOJ also appealed to local and international press freedom organizations to condemn the crackdown.
WikkiTimes reports that recently security personnel harassed journalists in Abuja court as the situation underscores ongoing challenges to media independence in Nigeria, which ranked 123rd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2023 Press Freedom Index.
