Media Rights Agenda (MRA) on April 21, 2021 called on the Federal Government to investigate the alleged threat to the life of “Daily Nigeria” publisher, Mr. Jaafar Jaafar, who has gone into hiding, and ensure his safety, stressing that the Government has an obligation to protect members of the media.
Jaafar came under threat from Kano State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Ganduje when he published video clips of the governor in October 2018, showing him allegedly collecting bundles of dollars in bribe from a contractor.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on March 19, 2021, Governor Ganduje said there were ongoing plans to deal with those who released the videos, following which Mr. Jaafar wrote a petition to the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the renewed threats to his life.
On April 14, 2021, Jaafar received an invitation from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit to report for questioning on charges of criminal libel based on an allegation that he was inciting violence and spreading injurious falsehood against the Inspector General of Police.
Unknown persons were reportedly on the trail of the journalist for some time and fearing for his life, Jaafar went into hiding. The unidentified persons are believed to be stalking his Abuja and Kano residences.
MRA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, said in a statement issued in Lagos that: “As a journalist, Mr. Jaafar, has a constitutional right and duty to hold government and its officials accountable. Since he is a Nigerian citizen and a journalist, the police has a duty on both counts to protect him from any form of harassment or threat as well as any danger to his life or the lives of members of his family and any attempt to prevent him from performing his professional duties.”
He argued that there is no way Jaafar can expect any fair treatment from the Police who have levelled spurious charges of inciting violence and spreading injurious falsehood about their boss, the Inspector General of Police, adding that “such a process makes an outrageous mockery of our system of justice”.
Adewale said MRA shared Jaafar’s concerns that the allegations and the invitation to report to the Police for questioning are merely an attempt to lure him into their custody.
He therefore called on the government to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted into the threats to Jaafar’s life with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring that no harm comes to him as the Federal Government of Nigeria would be liable under international law for the actions of the Police and any State government that violates the country’s treaty obligations.
Adewale urged the government to live up to its obligation to ensure the safety of Jaafar and other media practitioners, by preventing attacks on them whenever possible and ensuring that all attacks or threats are investigated and that the perpetrators of any such attack are prosecuted and punished.