Northern Nigeria Human Rights Advocates, a coalition of Human Rights Advocates in Northern Nigeria has condemned in totality what they said an arbitrary arrest and detention of a Journalist by the Police in Adamawa State.
NONIHRA in a statement by zone 1 Coordinator, Sylvester Yibis said Mr. Yau Saeed Mubi, was arrested on the 27th of December 2022, by the Personnel of Nigerian Police Force in Yola , Adamawa State.
Yau who is a freelance journalist and the owner of Y2S On-line Television (TV), according to NONIHRA, since his arrest, he was denied access to his family, Lawyer and has not been arraign in the court.
The group called on the Nigeria Police Force to immediate disclose the where about of the Journalist to his family and his lawyer. They also called for his immediate release or arraign him in a competent court of law for trials.
According to NONIHRA, the action of the Police contradict Section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, and Articles 3 of the African Charter on Human Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap (A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 the police have no power to detain anyone for this number of days unless is provided by law.
“Section 35(2) of the Nigerian Constitution. RIGHT TO DIGNITY OF HUMAN PERSON: A person shall not be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment. This right still subsist even when in police custody, which Nigerian state has committed in the ratification of all this laws and is an obligation on its protection of citizenry.
“Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can be achieved when there is a universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal right of all members of the human family” the statement added.