IGP Mohammed Adamu

A journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Malam Mustapha Yauri, was on Wednesday arrested and detained briefly by the Sabon Gari Divisional Police in Zarai, Kaduna State.

Malam Yauri, a correspondent with NAN, was reportedly arrested for taking pictures of a trailer that blocked the Samaru- Zaria Fly-over road in a protest during a rift between the Kaduna State Traffic and Environmental Law Enforcement Agency, KASTLEA and trailer drivers.

According the Yauri, he had conducted interviews with eyewitnesses and was about to take photographs of the trailers that block the road in protest , when he was accosted by the police.

He said; “A police officer in mufti attempted to seize my phone where I declined, I then went further to show him my Identity card which he proceeded to seize.

He said the officer demanded for his phone but he declined to surrender it.

“The police officer whom later I learnt that is the Divisional Crime Officer then called some armed policemen and told them to take me to police station to detain me and bring my phone back to him”.

“On our way to the station in the police Hilux van, the armed police men forcefully collected my mobile phone and dropped me at Sabon Gari Divisional Police Office at the Area Command Headquarters at PZ Zaria.

“While at police detention I begged one of the police officers for a mobile phone to reach my Zonal Manager and other colleagues who make efforts to reach higher authorities for my release.

“I was detained at the police station for many hours before the DPO, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi came into the office and called me for a meeting in his office where he apologized for what happened to me,’’ Yauri said.

He was subsequently released from detention and his mobile phone, NUJ and NAN staff Identity cards earlier seized, were also returned to him.