A Nigerian blogger on Thursday spent
his fourth night in detention for writing
a controversial blog post.
Jamil Mabai, a blogger based in the
Northwestern state of Katsina, was
arrested by officers of the Nigerian
Police Force on Monday in Kaduna.
The blogger is a known critic of the
Katsina administration led by Aminu
Masari on his blog, Cliqq Magazine.
A Magistrate Court in Katsina on
Thursday declined jurisdiction to try
him. The judge instead asked that he be
further detained.
Mr. Mabai’s arrest is believed to have
been ordered by the governor, a claim
the latter’s spokesperson denied.
A family friend of Mr. Mabai told
PREMIUM TIMES that the governor was
not happy with his recent post
condemning the recent purchase of 3000
metal coffins for distribution to Mosques
in the state.
Mr. Mabai said by purchasing the
coffins, Mr. Masari is simply saying
“Katsina people deserve to die”.
He also questioned the rationale behind
buying the coffins at N40,000 each at a
time the government was unable to pay
civil servants outstanding arrears of
salaries.
Writing via his tweeter handle,
@jaymb000 Mr. Mabai said, “What have
we done to deserve this? Why will a Gov.
Purchase coffins with public money?”
Our source on Thursday said Mr. Mabai
was arrested on Monday in Kaduna
where he had gone to celebrate the Eid
el kabir Sallah celebration.
“The Police followed him from Katsina to
Kaduna and arrested him there,” he
said.
He also said “when they picked him up,
they first took him to Unguwan Sanusi
police station before they proceeded to
Kankara local government and finally
Katsina town”.
Friends and relatives of the blogger were
apprehensive of his whereabouts, until
the Police finally charged him to court
on Thursday.
Mr. Mabai himself posted a tweet on his
handle to say ” Finally they have taken
us to court at GRA including one other
Social Media activist, Bishir Dauda”.
Our source confirmed that the blogger
was taken to the Magistrate Court
Number 1, at the GRA.
He said “as soon as the matter was
announced, the judge said he cannot
entertain the matter for lack of
jurisdiction”.
He said the judge ordered that the
accused be taken to prison pending
when he would be arraigned at a
separate court.
“However, by the time the court made
the pronouncement, it was too late to
take them to the prison. They were,
therefore, taken to the GRA Police
station in Katsina, after which they
would be taken to prison tomorrow,” he
said.
Efforts to speak with the spokesperson of
the Police in Katsina, Salisu Agaida, were
unsuccessful as his phone line could not
be reached.
It is not clear if the police will arraign
Mr. Mabai before a proper court on
Friday.
WHY WE ARRESTED
However, media reports had quoted the
state Commissioner of Police, Usman
Abdullahi, explaining why the blogger
was arrested.
Mr. Abdullahi said Mr. Mabai was
detained for posting tweets to say the
government bought the coffins because it
wanted people to die.
“The state government complained that
Jamil wrote that it had bought 3,000
coffins and distributed to mosques and
may be it wanted Katsina people to die.
“Any reasonable person will ask one or
two questions. This is why we had to
invite him to assist the police,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesperson to Mr.
Masari, Abdu Labaran, denied that the
state reported the blogger to the police.
“To the best of my knowledge, the state
government did not complain about any
blogger to anybody. Unless it is done
without my knowledge,” he said.
Mr. Labaran also said he spent the whole
day with the governor on Thursday and
“no mention was made of the arrest or
arraignment of anyone on the orders of
the governor.”
GOING AFTER BLOGGERS
Also arraigned alongside Mr. Mabai are
Bashir Dauda and Umar Faruq. They
were all accused of writing about the
story with the intent to cause civil
disturbance and expose Mr. Masari to
public ridicule.
Their arrest and arraignment is coming
on the heels of the arrest and detention
two weeks ago of another blogger,
Emenike Iroegbu, on the orders of
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
Mr. Iroegbu who publishes Abia Facts
Newspaper was accused of defaming Mr.
Ikpeazu.
He allegedly published a story accusing
the governor of burying a 9-year-old boy
in the government House, Umuahia.
In the same vein, another blogger,
Abubakar Usman, who publishes
abusidiqu.com was recently arrested
and detained by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Comkission, EFCC, who
accused him of “cyber stalking”.
Mr. Usman was released after much
public condemnation.
Source: Premiumtimes
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