The International Press Centre (IPC), through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) hub, has condemned the “intimidation, harassment and detention of Buhari Abba Rano, Online editor with Kano Times and Isma’il Auwa, a freelance journalist, by Kano State Police Command on the alleged orders of the Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Waiya.”
Buhari Rano, while speaking with IPC’s Press Freedom Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, confirmed that he was invited by the Kano State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) of the Kano Police Command where he was detained for three hours, while his phone was seized.
“I honoured their invitation and was detained for three hours and asked to come back tomorrow. This intimidation my colleague and I are going through is in connection to an opinion article published by Kano Times, which I did not author,” Buhari Rano said.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement said, “this action is highly condemnable and the Police alongside the Kano State Government must uphold their responsibility to respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression. The Police must desist from being used to constantly punish journalists who carry out their duties.”
SPJ-Hub has therefore called on the Kano State Police Command through the Commissioner of Police to stop all form of intimidation and harassment on Buhari Rano and Isma’il Auwa and guarantee their safety.
