ZARIA ONLINE JOURNALISTS FORUM CONDEMNS UNLAWFUL DETENTION OF ONLINE EDITOR, ZUHAIR ALI IBRAHIM
By Idris Umar, Zariya
The Zaria Online Journalists Forum (ZOJF) strongly condemns the arrest and continued detention of Mr. Zuhair Ali Ibrahim, editor of Leadership Hausa Online, who was remanded by a Katsina Magistrate Court on the basis of a petition filed by a councillor over a corruption report.
Mr. Ibrahim, a journalist and ethical media practitioner, is being detained for performing his constitutional duty—reporting a matter of public interest. The report in question, which was published on September 7, 2025, highlighted allegations of ₦30 million fraud levelled against Councillor Abubakar Nuhu of Doro Ward in Bindawa LGA by a businessman and political associate, Alhaji Ibrahim Sa’adu.
We find it deeply disturbing that:
• Mr. Ibrahim sought the councillor's response before publication, which is standard journalistic procedure;
• Efforts by respected political leaders and elders to resolve the matter amicably were deliberately sabotaged by the councillor himself;
• Instead of civil redress or rebuttal, the councillor resorted to criminalising the journalist, thereby threatening press freedom and public accountability.
Let it be clear: journalism is not a crime. The arrest of a journalist for reporting credible allegations from a known source is not only unjustifiable, it is a direct attack on the Nigerian Constitution, democracy, and the fight against corruption.
We call on:
• Governor Dikko Radda to intervene immediately and order the release of Mr. Ibrahim;
• The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society groups, and media advocacy organisations to rise in defence of press freedom;
• All journalists in Nigeria and beyond to remain resolute in upholding the principles of ethical journalism, no matter the intimidation.
This pattern of weaponising law enforcement to silence critical reporting is unacceptable and must stop. If we allow this to go unchallenged, it sets a dangerous precedent for every journalist reporting corruption and injustice in Nigeria.
We stand in total solidarity with Mr. Zuhair Ali Ibrahim and demand his unconditional release.
Signed:
Ammar Muhammad Rajab
Chairman, Zaria Online Journalists Forum (ZOJF)
19th September, 2025
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