Unwarranted arrest

Editorial

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State is well within his rights to sack his former Special Assistant on Media, Salihu Tanko Yakassai, for public comments he made, perceived as embarrassing to the Kano State Government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).   He who hires can fire.  But public criticism, no matter how harsh, should not lead to arrest and detention.

In the wake of the recent abduction of 317 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, Yakassai had reportedly posted a withering critique of the government, on his Twitter account.

In his unsparing words: “Clearly, we as APC have failed Nigerians in the number one duty we are elected to do, which is to secure life and property. Not a single day goes by without some insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign…Just last week, it was #freekagaraboys, today we have a new hashtag, #rescueJangebe Girls; who knows tomorrow what hashtag we will come up with? Perhaps one for ourselves when we get caught up in one of these attacks. This is sad and heartbreaking; I feel helpless and hopeless”.

A seemingly instinctual critic of government, Yakassai had earlier been suspended, by the governor, during the #EndSars protests, for his comment on social media, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to either deal with bandits in the country or resign.  Although he was reinstated two weeks after, the latest occurrence suggests the aide sees absolutely no wrong in publicly voicing his point of view, even if that is unacceptable to the government in which he serves.

This time around, he got the boot with immediate effect, an action decried as an infringement on his fundamental right of free speech, by some media commentators.

In a statement, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), condemned Ganduje’s sack of Yakassai, saying this was a negation of Yakassai’s democratic right to unbridled speech. It is, however, unlikely that the PDP would tolerate a public criticism of the party, by appointive officers in states it controls. A worker’s rights to free speech, in either the public or private sector of the economy, does not confer a licence to make public statements perceived as damaging to the corporate image of the organization that employs him.

Now that he has been relieved of his appointment, Mr. Yakassai has the freedom to criticize the government to his heart’s content; which is his right — and even patriotic duty, as a citizen.

Read Also: On Ganduje’s dangerous proposition, recipe for disintegration

However, Yakassai’s reported ‘mysterious disappearance’ shortly after his comments, prompted insinuations by his friends and acquaintances on social media that he had been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS). After an initial denial, the DSS Public Relations Officer, Dr Peter Afunaya, issued a statement confirming the arrest. He said that Yakassai was “being investigated over issues beyond the expression of opinions in the social media, as wrongly alleged by sections of the public”.

Although Mr. Yakassai has since been released, his arrest in the first place was unwarranted, inexplicable and unlawful. The DSS’s explanation that he was investigated for unspecified issues, not linked to his comments on social media comments, sounds shallow and unconvincing.

If the security agencies have the latitude to arbitrarily arrest citizens and investigate people for alleged offences unknown to the public, then the citizen’s right to free speech is gravely endangered. In particular, the timing of Yakassai’s arrest, shortly after his public criticism of government, gives plausible room for suspicion as regards the motive of the DSS.

To be sure, the sacked aide broke no law and said nothing subversive. He may have acted without discretion, given the position he occupied as a political appointee.  His sack is, therefore, the only legal jeopardy he can suffer.

The DSS should, in future, be wary of this kind of action, which smacks of overzealousness. It does its corporate image and integrity no good.