A Federal High Court sitting in Kano fined Kano state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, one million naira for human rights violation after police personnel detained Bashir Bashir Galadanci, a social media commentator, accusing him of defaming the PPRO on his social media posts.
Police arrested Bashir Galadanci last year accusing him for his Facebook post prasing the former PPRO Abdullahi Majiya, in most of the post and defaming the current PPRO, Abdullahi Haruna kiyawa.
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In his verdict, Justice Obiora fined DSP Kiyawa a one million Naira fine for damages and detaining Bashir for more than 48 hours, violating his right. The court also said Bashir has a freedom of expression as enshrined by the Nigerian Constitution.
The court said Bashir should not be arrested or invited to the police again for the same case again and the court asked Kiyawa to tender his apology on radio stations for violating his right.
Other responders in the case are: Inspector Abba Jakara, Imrana, PPRO’s official driver, former Officer in Charge Anti Daba and Superintendent of Police Uba Bangajiya.
In his interview with SAHELIAN TIMES, Bashir Bashir Galadanchi narrated how the police detained him, beat him up and forced him to lie against former PPRO, Magaji Musa Musa Magaji.
“I have a good relationship with Majiya so I always post his achievements or anything directly related to him because our relationship is personal not because he is a police officer but he is like a brother and a friend to me,” He said.
“That was what provoked his successor, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa because he even invited me to build a relationship with him but I told him that I am not interested because Majiya is like a brother to me and I cannot dump him,” Bashir Said
He added that “From then, he started following my activities and movements though I never cared about what he was doing but quite, unfortunately, he started arresting my close friends and I immediately submitted myself to the police.
“Kiyawa asked police to detain me for defamation of character; showing me my preview posts which I used satirical phrases even though I didn’t mention his name but he insisted that I was referring to him. They interrogated me and forced me to implicate Majiya to say that he was the one who was asking me to write everything against him.
“During the interrogation, he was the complainer, prosecutor and also investigator all at once. During the interrogation, they slapped me, beat me up, and forced me to record a video begging him to forgive me,” Bashir said.
He further said “From there, they arraigned me in court but later, the court released me on bail condition while I also filed a case at Federal High Court and wrote a letter of petition to Inspector General of Police and National Human Right Commission and today, the court reached it’s a verdict that he should tender an apology to me for violating my rights,” He concluded.
