A magistrate court in Kano has remanded a student of Bayero University Kano over a Facebook post criticising a state lawmaker.

Yahuza Tijjani, a second-year student in the Department of Science and Technology Education, has been held since September 30 after he was arrested by the police in Madobi Local Government Area, his brother, Murtala Tijjani, told us Mr Tijjani said his younger brother spent seven days at the Police ‘Zone 1’ regional headquarters in Kano and the state criminal investigation department before he was sent to jail by the magistrate.

The lawmaker, Kabiru Is’mail, and the Tijjanis are natives of Madobi Local Government Area. A group loyal to the lawmaker had earlier attacked the student, Mr Tijjani, on Facebook, the brother said.

“We are more concerned that the student may be expelled from the university for missing the whole semester examination while being in jail,” he said. “We fear that he would continue being in jail as we have exhausted seeing all the personalities we know yet we cannot secure his released.”

In the Facebook post seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Tijjani, in an apparent reference to the lawmaker who he did not mention by name, said in Hausa, “You know he’s not well educated, as a result of which he doesn’t know how to calculate figures. He said 1230, he later said 1500 and at the ended saying 2000.”

In another post, Mr Tijjani said, “I pray to God almighty that the election petition tribunal [will] declare the election of state’s assembly member representing Madobi as inconclusive”.

The Court

The brother also narrated how Mr Tijjani was denied bail and sent to jail on day one after he was charged with defamation of character before the magistrate, Aminu Gabari of Court 72 in Noman’s Land in Fagge local government area.

He said a week later the judge granted Mr Tijjani bail on strict conditions they were unable to meet.

“Whenever the judge slated time for the case, he wouldn’t come, this makes us suspicious that the judiciary, the last hope for Mr Tijjani has been compromised,” he said.

“The last time we saw the judge he told us that the case has been transferred to the office of the state’s chief judge; there’s nothing he can do about it. We rushed to the Ministry of Justice to see the chief judge; we were denied access to him.”

When contacted, the lawmaker representing Madobi state constituency, Kabiru Isma’il, told us Tuesday that the student offended him through the Facebook post and he reported the matter to the authorities. He said no human would allow the offender to walk free without taking appropriate measures.

“I was offended, instead of taking the law into my hand, I decided to invite the police because I don’t have the power to arrest,” Mr Isma’il said.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nwest/364063-nigerian-student-sent-to-jail-for-criticising-lawmaker-on-facebook.html

I think Nigerian students really need to be careful about using social media to propagate their criticism. This is probably the third case in recent times. We should understand that despite being idealistic and all, nothing is really going to change through internet rant. Rather post pictures of cats or internet memes if you have nothing else to do with your data.

Addendum
And to those that did not think this through before commenting, I'm not saying that people should not protest or bare their minds against politicians, because they are our common enemies. The fact remains that students should not have to be scapegoats. In a country like ours, no one will come for you. We can have a Femi Falana lashing out words against the government, but you, a student with an unprotected head has more to loose. There are better ways to attack the system than unguarded social media rants

matrixme:
I think Nigerian students really need to be careful about using social media to propagate their criticism. This is probably the third case in recent times. We should understand that despite being idealistic and all, nothing is really going to change through internet rant. Rather post pictures of cats or internet memes if you have nothing else to do with your data

At the bolded SMH

Freedom of speech killed.

Really

I'm still trying to picture what would happen if the so called hate speech Bill is passed in to law

This next level na die.....they wan turn all man to zombie....no pim

Freedom of speech? Yes!!, Freedom after speech? No!!!!!!!.

We only read that there is freedom of speech
BUT freedom after speech is not guaranteed!



Like play like joke APC are turning our hard won democracy into Satanic Fascism!

Cases like these are always from the North.

You ..yes..you reading this .. why aren't you making plans to leave this hellhole? Is this the news you want your kids to read everyday? Tanker explosions are no longer strange to Nigerians anymore because it's a daily occurrence.
Is this life you want your kids to become accustomed to?
Know freedom of speech again. Thunder fire this administration.
Why aren't you making good plans to leave this doomed nation? You probably love it here but I demand a concrete reason for why you want your kids to go through the same desensitization to what a good life actually should be like? They don't deserve this and I'm pleading on their behalf.

Freedom of speech is a hoax

Even the pressmen and women will tell you this fact.

Jamaal Kashoogi comes to mind

Person no fit criticize inside buhari govt again??

Bully lawmaker

Wow
I go mind wetin I dey post now

somebody can not use his mouth again.

Your freedom after the freedom of speech is not guaranteed

Freedom is speech
Freedom after speech i can't assure you

Gradually the country is getting there .... Dictatorship

This is a welcome development, it serves rumors mongers right. If you don't have evidence to proffer your social media post, please keep silent. We have had enough fake news. Its on record that an alien of dual nationality called PMB an impostor aka Jibril al sudani, to the extent a senior pastor that was supposed to see the truth spiritually, supported such a baseless accusations to the office of Mr president.

matrixme:
I think Nigerian students really need to be careful about using social media to propagate their criticism. This is probably the third case in recent times. We should understand that despite being idealistic and all, nothing is really going to change through internet rant. Rather post pictures of cats or internet memes if you have nothing else to do with your data.

Rather than empathize, you join the clamp down on the use of social media to expose excesses and under performance of ordinary people elected into government to make the lives of others better. Kudos to you! You should be the one to take the advice of posting cats online as you have nothing reasonable to say.

The dirty police and judges too could not warn the student with undertaken if they found him guilty and let give him a chance to complete his studies.

Imagine if God hold us all with immediate accountability for our sins?

Freedom of speech is on the 5% end of life in Nigeria.

Check out and model a free society like the US, if Nigeria and Nigerians really aspire to grow!

Jus Negodu

That is why a faceless place like Nairaland is good for people to say their "true" feelings without fear, so long as you are anonymous (no twitter, email or picture on your profile).

Anyday NL ceases to be anonymous, it would lose its reputation.

I bet that Midolian, zombieterror, seunmsg and co would agree with me.

Hate speech never enter law ooo.


Nigeria is finish.

They are all learning from the dictator in Aso rock


Thieves everywhere

What do you expect from a country where corruption is the order of the day. Even the last hope of the common man have been compromised. I weep for my country