Katsina-Based Female Journalist Goes Into Hiding Over Threats To Life, Assault By Nigerian Police

Ruqayya Aliyu Jibia, a female journalist based in Katsina state, has cried out for justice.

She cried out, saying her life is in danger following her encounter with the Nigerian police in the state.

Ms Aliyu, who works for Tambarin Hausa TV in the state, took to her Tik Tok account and shared a two minutes and 50 seconds video from her place of hiding.

While narrating her ordeals in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, Rukayya said she was arrested for criticising the police public parade of four girls allegedly arrested for prostitution on her personal Tiktok account.

She said she had suggested to the police in her Tiktok video that they should have taken them to the court instead of subjecting the young girls to media trial.

According to Rukayya, “A few days back, the Nigerian Police, Katsina State Command, paraded four suspects, young ladies between the ages of 19 to 23, claiming that they were into prostitution.”

“Upon seeing that video, I recorded a Tik Tok video on my personal Tik Tok page, where I quoted a section in Nigerian Constitution which I suggested to the police that they should have taken the girls to the court until they are proven guilty before parading them to the press,” she said.

She said the spokesperson of the police in the state, Gambo Isa, invited her to the palace of the Emir of the town, after the video was published and violently assaulted her,

“I was on my way to the emir’s palace when Gambo Isah and his boys came with four cars, blocked my way, they dragged me out of my car, and they broke my phone and I sustained injury as you can see, and they dragged me to the emir’s palace where Gambo Isa told the emir that I’m sabotaging their efforts in the state,” Rukayya said.

The journalist said the emir asked the police to remand her but she was taken to court and eventually taken to the police area commander’s office.

She said she was made to write a statement and asked to return the following day.

“I went there around 11:00 am Thursday and I was hoping that I’ll be taken to court. Unfortunately, the area commander told me I would be taken to police headquarters…I was so scared of what happened to me the other day. Gambo Isa assaulted me, so I ran for my life,” she said.