By our correspondent
Again a journalist working for Daybreak Newspapers Nigeria in Kaduna State, has been rearrested and detained for the second time over his investigative news report on deteriorated and poor state of 2023 Mando Halj. exercise.
Comrade Gabriel.Achadu Idibia was arrested and detained at the Operation Yaki police command facility located at constitution road Kaduna on Thursday evening while at the station to answer an invitation over his earlier report on 2023 Mando hajj. camp pilgrims exercise, by one officer Hassan Danladi.
Contacted, the spokesman of Kaduna state police command Mansur Hassan who cinfiemed the story however expressed happiness that the journalist was latter released from cell.
Gabriel was however asked to report back for another meeting on Monday, but the invitation has been rejected, for fear of what might be the outcome.
Recalled that Kaduna based investigative journalist Mr. Idibia Gabriel, was on 26th September arrested and detained at the same Kaduna state police command facility of Yaki over the news report and released on bail signed by a colleague bearing Amos Mathew of the New Nigeria Newspapers.
He was on Thursday again invited and arrested, detained and humiliated in the midst of other cell mates most of them in poor ill-health, by the Kaduna state police command of the operations Yaki but was later granted bail through publisher and Editor in chief of the New impression Magazine, Mordecai Sunday Ibrahim.
The real reason for his arrest and detention under Operation “Yaki” Police facility, was however not clearly stated at the point of his arrest even when he voluntarily honored their invitation.
Speaking on the illegal detention the journalist explained that his arrest and detention was in connection with an investigative news report on poor condition of Mando hajj camp in relation to the 2023 hajj exercise, he published September 24, 2023 in Daybreak Nigeria newspapers a media outfit based in Abuja.
Journalist Gabriel had reported with video evidence that the Mando hajj camp was overcrowded with population of men and women found passing night together under the same tent while awaiting airlifting during 2023 hall exercise, describing it as unislamic.
The reporter’s contact number he used to verify the information from the Executive Secretary (ES)_ Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Yusuf Yakubu, was supplied to the police arm of Operation Yaki, that invited him and detained him, violating his fundamental human rights and freedom of speech.
He was arrested and detained on a flimsy allegation of attempt to intimidate the Agency’s ES, a charge that could not be substantiated as the journalist and the ES did not speak directly, but only through text messages well documented.
He was however later granted bail.
He said even though he was treated with dignity, he was however traumatized, unnecessarily embarrassed, humiliated, dispossessed of his phones, other items and asked to disclosed his source, retract the story and write letter of apology to the pilgrims board.
The matter, he said was receiving the attention of his legal adviser especially over the illegal and unjust arrest and detention.
Follow link to publication:
Kaduna Hajj camp, a national shame, men, women sleep together in overcrowded hall – investigation
