JAAFAR: Kano govt allegedly witch-hunts journalist for refusing to put away Ganduje bribery videos
The Kano State government has allegedly began to witch-hunt Jaafar Jaafar, the Daily Nigerian journalist that released the videos showing governor Abdullahi Ganduje allegedly receiving $5 million bribe from some contractors.
When the clips were released to the public last October, the state government quickly said they were “cloned” and an attempt to blackmail Ganduje.
The State House of Assembly also said it was looking into the authenticity of the videos and would take necessary action.
In the heat of the call for punitive action for Ganduje, President Muhammadu Buhari called the governor a “very responsible” man and even endorsed him for another term in office while campaigning in Kano.
Jaafar has said he is currently facing a torrid time from the government as a result of his refusal to put the videos away for a mouthwatering bribe.
“They were willing to give me whatever amount I proposed, but I refused to engage in negotiations. One government official even suggested that if I was to take the videos down, I could receive as much as 5 million dollars – the same amount as the alleged bribe in the videos,” he said in his letter.
Thugs and school pupils were allegedly allowed to harass and protest against Jaafar and his supporters at the House of Assembly building on the day he was summoned to testify against Ganduje.
“My family and I have also been receiving threats since then. I continued to do my job as a journalist, but I still face charges in court. Please tell Kano State government to drop all charges against me. They must stop prosecuting and harassing journalists,” he pleaded.
Amnesty International has launched an online petition for the government to withdraw all charges against him.
