Amnesty International has condemned the detention of public affairs analyst and university lecturer Dr. Bashir Kurfi, describing his arrest by the Katsina State Police Command as arbitrary and a violation of his right to freedom of expression.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the rights group said Kurfi was detained on Tuesday after honouring a police invitation over an unrelated matter.
It alleged that officers later informed him he would remain in custody over a petition linked to comments he made during a Trust TV interview on banditry.
Amnesty claimed there were attempts to keep Kurfi in detention through what it described as fabricated charges and abuse of the judicial process.
"This brazen attempt to silence Dr. Bashir Kurfi is aimed at intimidating people to prevent public scrutiny of government's handling of banditry," the organisation said.
The group accused the Katsina State Government of targeting Kurfi for questioning its response to insecurity rather than investigating the allegations he raised.
Kurfi, Convener of the Katsina Security Community Initiative, had alleged during a June 24 Trust TV interview that the state government sponsored some bandit leaders to perform the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
The state government has denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, a Chief Magistrates' Court in Katsina on Wednesday remanded Kurfi in police custody after he pleaded not guilty to charges of alleged defamation and injurious falsehood. The case was adjourned until July 14 for further hearing.
Amnesty urged authorities to respect citizens' rights to free expression and end what it described as growing intimidation of government critics.
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