Date Published: 10/27/10

Tukur Mamu, Desert Herald Publisher, Arrested Again

The Police in Kaduna have yet again arrested Desert Herald publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Malam Tukur Mamu, Tuesday night in his office at the corporate Headquarters of Desert Herald.

The Police went to Desert Herald office at about 6.30pm and even joined the staff for the Dusk (Magrib) prayer. It was thereafter that they followed him to his office and told him of their mission.

There was some resistance as Mamu did not want to go with them because they did not present any arrest warrant nor was there any formal invitation for him to the station.

It could be recalled that Mamu has obtained a court order for perpetual injunction, restraining his any further arrests and detentions. This document was also presented to the Police but they remained adamant. Again the same restraining order was earlier served to the police, the SSS and all parties involved in the Yobe State government vs Tukur Mamu case at the Bauchi High Court.

When they took him away last night, nobody knew where they kept him, and when he appeared this morning, the news was that they are taking him to court here in Kaduna for forgery over an ‘Excuse Duty Certificate’ Mamu obtained from a Kaduna hospital.

Meanwhile, pundits are already questioning the rationale for arresting and detaining an individual who is the complainant in a case, while his complaints were never looked into. After all the Police is also a Defendant in the case and here they are actively participating in investigating the allegations.

This brings to four (four) the number of times Mamu is being arrested by the police within the span of only one year for discharging his constitutional duties in the practice of his chosen profession of Journalism.

Reacting to the spate of arrests of Mamu and this particular one of recent, The President Protection Rights of Journalists of Africa, Adamu Gwarzo, said this totally violating laws of the land as Mamu is constantly being hindered from doing his job.

Gwarzo then promise said he has already contacted London, New York and South Africa, among others, with a view to gathering support for one of their own.

Similarly, Desert Herald lawyer attached to the case, Barr. Dansadau, said this is what they would do naturally since what they want is to put Mamu away for while and they know that investigating forgery case will definitely take some time. He however assured that he is ready to prove them wrong at the court.