Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Katsina State Chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of a public affairs analyst, Dr. Bashir Kurfi, who has been in detention over an alleged defamatory statement.
Kurfi, who is also lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, was remanded in police custody last Wednesday by a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Katsina over his claim that the state government sponsored bandit leaders to the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
But in a statement issued yesterday in Katsina, the state coordinator of the CNG, Abdullahi Kabir, said the group seeks the immediate and unconditional release of the detainee.
The coalition said the use of police and the judiciary as instruments of what it termed political vendetta against the analyst was undemocratic, unconditional and an infringement on his freedom of expression.
It described the state government purported plot to keep Kurfi in prolonged detention through “fabricated charges and a manipulated judicial process” as political repression targeting individuals who are exposing its failures.
The CNG said rather than tackling the “alarming reality of relentless bandit attacks” in the state, the government was attempting to suppress dissenting voices on governance and security issues.
The group also urged the Nigeria Police Force to focus on tackling banditry and other violent crimes bedevilling the state rather than engaging in what it described as political witch-hunts.
The statement read, “We therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Bashir Kurfi, the withdrawal of every politically motivated action against him, and an end to the intimidation of journalists, analysts, activists, and citizens who speak out on issues of public interest.
“We also call on the Nigeria Police Force to resist being used as a tool for political witch-hunts and instead focus its energies on confronting the criminal elements terrorizing communities across Katsina State and the wider North.
“History has repeatedly shown that governments which suppress dissent instead of addressing legitimate grievances only accelerate the erosion of public confidence.”
The coalition of Northern groups reiterated its commitment to resist every attempt to silence truth and demand accountability from those entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens.