Photo credits:
- Jacob Onjewu Dickson
- Gabriel Idibia
- Joseph Midat
- Luka Binniyat
- Stephen Kefas
- Segun Onibiyo
- Idris Hanifa
All photos above were contributed by the persons pictured.
By Mike Odeh James
[Kaduna] When the nemesis of Nigeria’s press freedom withdrew his name from contention to be a minister under Nigeria’s new president, the sigh of relief was heard in newsrooms across the nation. But the fact that former Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai —who jailed more honest reporters than any other governor — was even considered for such a slot is concerning. Rufai, a sometime negotiator with Fulani-tribe militants and a known Islamist, was listed as a ministry candidate July 27 but by August 11 had told the President he no longer sought a ministry slot but was keen on finishing up his graduate studies in the Netherlands. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/615596-exclusive-el-rufai-withdraws-interest-in-ministerial-appointment-recommends-replacement.html
One may argue that Rufai had gotten walls of pushback from Nigerian Senators by Aug. 11, but why speculate? The fact is, had he been elevated, he would have sent the wrong message regarding Nigeria’s bone fides as the model of democratic governance to neighboring Niger that had just thrown off its president on July 24. Democracies are supposed to tolerate gadflies in the press, but Rufai surely did not.
The President understandably wanted to reward El-Rufai for his loyalty and hard work in the hard-fought presidential campaign that concluded May 29, 2023. However, El Rufai’s name had been shredded by too many due to his demonstrable intolerance as governor – especially toward journalists.
“Nasir El-Rufai should not be appointed for any position in government,” according to a text from Kyle Abts, executive director of the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON). “He has continuously proven himself to be an ally of terrorists and militants – not only in Kaduna State, but all of Nigeria. He has sought to appease Fulani militants and Muslim terrorists such as Boko Haram (Western Learning Forbidden) and Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP), along with bandits and other groups that do not promote religious freedom or liberty,” said Abts to TruthNigeria by text.
Consider the record between 2015 and 2022. No fewer than seven journalists, bloggers, and online writers were arrested, detained, and charged in court by El-Rufai’s officials.
It started with the arrest of a reporter, Jacob Onjewu Dickson, on April 27, 2016. Dickson, working for Authentic Newspaper, had reported that El-Rufai was attacked by an angry mob in the Ungwan Rimi district of Kaduna. Angry with the report, El-Rufai, who was the governor of the state, sought the source of the news and not satisfied, ordered the questioning of the reporter by security agents.
The reporter spent seven days in detention and was later charged by a magistrate court for “inciting the public” against the governor. https://www.refworld.org/docid/575fadc911.html The case is still in court as of August 2023.
Dickson told this reporter not to publish or accept stories that could tarnish the image of the governor.
“Any time the governor wants to remind me of how to behave, the court would summon me for a hearing, “Dickson said.
Gabriel Idibia, a Kaduna-based reporter for the Union Newspaper, came under the lens of Kaduna State Government for publishing in 2016 an article that revealed that El Rufai’s assets ran into billions of Naira. The governor was not amused. Idibia was detained for 15 days before being charged to court. As for the time of this writeup, matter is still in the court.
After Police Surveillance of WhatsApp, Dragged into a Police Van
In 2017, Joseph Midat,a reporter with Leadership Newspaper, was ambushed on his way out of the Nigeria Union of Journalists by Nigerian Police, dragged into a police van, taken to his house, and his apartment searched. His phones were seized and searched too.
He was subsequently taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force, who later admitted that El Rufai had ordered surveillance on Midat’s WhatsApp messenger. Midat was arrested on April 17, 2017 and released on April 19, 2019. https://saharareporters.com/2017/07/31/court-strikes-out-suit-against-kaduna-journalist
Or witness the case of Luka Binniyat, a reporter and editor who was arrested on the orders of the former governor, On July 16, 2017, Binniyat, a correspondent of Vanguard Newspaper in Kaduna, was arrested for filing a report that stated that some students were killed at Kaduna State College of Education. He was accused of filing a false report, so he was detained.
He was in detention for over two months and was finally released in September 2017.
Binniyat was arrested again in November 2021, for publishing a news report for the U.S.-based publication The Epoch Times. Binniyat’s report cited evidence that Fulani attacks in Southern Kaduna had not resulted from “reprisals.” After spending close to eighty-three days in prison, he was released. As a result of his ordeal with the state government, he lost his job and is still facing charges.
The Scourge of Social Media Critics
Social media scribes get jailed as easily as print reporters. Consider Stephen Kefas, who was arrested for reposting a story on Facebook earlier published by Sahara Reporters about the reported attempts of El Rufai to impose an Emir on Kajuru District of Kaduna.
Kefas was arrested in Rivers State and taken to Kaduna State on May 8, 2019. After spending 5 months in prison custody, on October 19, 2019, Kefas was released on bail. However, fearing for his life, he fled Nigeria. https://saharareporters.com/2019/05/10/breaking-kaduna-journalist-arrested-re-posting-facebook-article-kefas-stephen-missing
On November 14, 2019, a reporter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Segun Onibiyo, was arrested, detained, and charged to court on the orders of El-Rufai for criticizing the governor’s administration on Facebook.
After spending 26 days in jail, Onibiyo was charged with defamation of El Rufai’s character and inciting the public against him. The case is still in court. according to police report.
Abubakar Idris Hanifa, popularly known as Dadiyata, a popular social media activist and critic of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor El Rufai, went missing on Friday, August 2, 2019.
According to his family, Dadiyata was abducted by armed men, who claimed to be from the police, while driving into his residence at Barnawa in Kaduna State.
It has been almost five years since Daddiyata was arrested by men who claimed to be from the police, yet he has not been heard from. https://www.thecable.ng/question-where-is-dadiyata
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Mike Odeh James has served as a bureau chief for The Desert Herald Newspaper in Kaduna and does political analysis for TruthNigeria.com.
