A civil society group, Concerned Nigerians, has called for the immediate release of the media aide to Kano State Governor, Salihu Yakasai. He was allegedly abducted by officers of the Department of State Services ( DSS ) a few hours after criticizing President Buhari’s handling of insecurity in Nigeria.
The group noted that President Muhammadu Buhari-led government was becoming insensitive to criticisms, irrespective of the nature of such complaints.
A statement issued at the weekend by the coordinator of the group, Deji Adeyanju, said all over the world, criticisms are means by which governments are kept on the right track.
The statement read, “It is even more alarming to note that Mr Yakassai is a member of the All Progressives Congress, the same party that produced President Buhari.
“If state actors can indiscriminately arrest members of the President’s party for criticizing the President, we shudder to imagine what they will do to members of the public and civil society organizations!
“We also use this opportunity to reiterate our call for the release of Solomon Akuma, who the Nigerian Police Force has detained for over 350 days because he criticized President Buhari. Solomon Akuma, a young Nigerian pharmacist, has been held incommunicado because of a harmless tweet. This cannot continue! Nigeria practices a constitutional democracy where freedom of speech is one of the pillars upon which the nation is built.
“However, it is not too late for the government of the day to retrace its steps and release Salihu Yakasai, Solomon Akuma and other prisoners of conscience. For every day that these innocent citizens remain in unlawful detention, the Buhari led government solidifies its place among pariah governments of the world.”
