Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State.
Muktar Dahiru, a journalist with Pyramid FM Kano, was in Kano ordered by a magistrate court to be remand in a correctional centre following allegations of making a Facebook post deemed “insulting” to Abba Yusuf, the Governor of Kano State.
Dahiru was arrested on Thursday and secretly charged before Magistrate Court 24 at Gyadi Gyadi on allegations of criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, and intentional insult.
Ummah Kurawa, the presiding magistrate, ordered Dahiru’s remand pending the hearing of his bail application, scheduled for September 3.
The controversial Facebook post reportedly involved the sharing of an audio interview with an opposition politician who accused Governor Yusuf of corruption.
The politician called for federal anti-corruption agencies to investigate the “Novomed scandal” rather than leaving the matter to the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCCAC).
The scandal in question centres around a multi-billion-Naira drug procurement scam, which recently led to the arrest of five individuals by the Kano State anti-corruption agency.
Among those arrested was Garba Kwankwaso, a nephew of former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and the Managing-Director of Novomed Pharmaceuticals.
The accused were charged with violating public procurement laws by allegedly conspiring to award a contract for drug supplies to Novomed.
In addition to the Facebook post, Dahiru is accused of publishing an audio programme in which someone criticised the reinstated Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, for allegedly living a lavish lifestyle while portraying himself as sympathetic to the poor.
He further shared an audio recording in which Yusuf Fasaha, an opposition politician, accused Rabiu Kwankwaso of fraud.
The case has sparked concerns about press freedom and the treatment of journalists in Nigeria, with many observers awaiting the outcome of Dahiru’s bail hearing this week.
