PRESS RELEASE

WAMAC CONDEMNS ARREST AND DETENTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNALIST

Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC) is appalled and outraged by the brazen arrest and detention of our Human Rights Journalist and Investigative reporter, Ahmed Isa Sakpe, in Minna, Niger State. Sakpe was picked up by the Niger State Police Command on the orders of Governor Umar Bago’s protocol officer, B. Y. Daban, on trumped-up charges of cyberbullying, simply for doing his job as a journalist.

This latest incident is a stark reminder of the Niger State Government’s blatant disregard for press freedom and its penchant for using state machinery and security agencies to harass, intimidate, and silence journalists. The actions of the protocol officer and the police are a gross abuse of power and a clear attempt to muzzle the voice of the people.

WAMAC views this as a deliberate and calculated effort to suppress investigative journalism and stifle dissenting voices in Niger State. The government’s actions are a throwback to the dark days of military rule, where journalists were routinely harassed, detained, and intimidated for speaking truth to power.

We recall that the International Press Institute (IPI) had previously blacklisted the Governor and Government of Niger State for similar actions, yet nothing seems to have changed. The government’s continued disregard for press freedom and human rights is a worrying trend that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

WAMAC demands the immediate release of Ahmed Isa Sakpe and an end to the harassment of journalists in Niger State. We call on Amnesty International, IPI, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Society of Nigerian Broadcasters, and other Human Rights organizations to intervene and salvage journalism practice in Niger State from the claws of tyranny.

The people of Niger State deserve to be informed, and it is the duty of journalists to hold those in power accountable. We will not be silenced!

Signed

Nonye Aghaji

Public Affairs and New Media Specialist

Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC)