A lecturer at the Kaduna State University, Dr. John Danfulani was arrested late January because of a Facebook post he made which was
critical of President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was detained by the police, remanded in prison, and charged for “incitement” by the Kaduna State Government.
In addition, Danfulani was issued a query at work and placed on suspension. He has been released on bail after meeting very stringent bail conditions. He wrote an article on his experience which is undemocratic and a sign of a despotic government. He called out Kaduna Governor, Nasir El Rufai for clamping down on freedom of speech, after enjoying unlimited personal freedoms under the government of Goodluck Jonathan.
He said that El Rufai had insulted Christians and Christianity, making mockery of the religion and its leaders on social media when he was in the opposition, but turns around to express intolerance when he is in government.
Danfulani, a human rights activist, also reaffirmed his commitment to playing his civil duty of holding the government accountable and to a high standard.
MY SIX DAYS ORDEAL WITH THE POLICE, COURT AND THE PRISON
On Tuesday, the 2nd of February, 2016 the gate of Kaduna Prison was opened for me to head to my home. That marked the end of a 6-day ordeal in the hands of the Police, Court, and Prison that started at 10am of the 28th of January, 2016.
The 6-day drama and melodrama was engineered by a letter from the State Command of Nigeria Police(NP) to my employer Kaduna State University (KASU) requesting them to release me for an interview at their headquarters. On receiving the NP’s request dated 21st January 2016, an internal memorandun was raised directing me to unfailingly report to the Police by 10am of the 25th January, 2016. Because I was out of the country, I couldn’t keep faith with the said date but phoned the contact on the NP’s letter of invitation and told him my difficulties of rescheduling my flight within the short time I got the news of his request. And told him that all things being equal, I would be available on 28th Janaury 2016 by 10 am. The officer was satisfied with my explanation and even sympathized with me.
On reaching the State Command on the 28th of January, 2016 as rescheduled, I was directed to the Surveillance Section of the CID for “the interview”. After introducing myself to the horde of their busy experts, I was given a seat; and in a nick of time, a green file was tabled before me. In the case file were: a Complaint from the office of the Attorney General of Kaduna State, a Petition to the Governor against me, and two write-ups purported to be my social media updates uploaded sometimes in January, 2016.
The IPO asked whether I was the owner of the pen that poured words they adjudged to be hate speech with the capacity of causing breakdown of law and order. I vehemently and unequivocally distanced myself from the write-ups. Their usual niceties of putting denials or acceptance of allegations in black and white followed. After that, we started ascending from one Senior Officer to the other, climaxing with the CP.
After few exchanges with the CP, he ordered for immediate confiscation of my phone and laptop to enable them probe the inflow and outflow of my mails and social media updates. From the CP’s office we headed straight to my house to effect his verbal order, and returned to their headquarters after an hour. On arrival, my legal team went to CP and asked for bail, but he denied the bail. All reasons under the sun were marshaled to make him grant me bail, failed into his deaf ears. At the closing hour, I was dropped at the famous SAR’s cell in Ibrahim Taiwo Road.
On Friday, 29th January, 2016, I was taken to court around 10am but the judge left for Friday Prayer and promised to return after performing his holy duty. While waiting, one of the court’s official informed us that the Chief Magistrate said he would not come back; that he had gone to attend a wedding in Zaria. We all returned to the Police headquarters and initiated a fresh process of administrative bail. The CP denied that and prevailed on the judge to return and sit on the case. The court sat after 7pm of 29th January 2016 and denied me bail on request of the prosecution team. But gave the police three days to complete investigation and return on Monday, the 1st of February, 2016 for the further mention of the case. His denial returned me back to my SAR’s cell in Ibrahim Taiwo Road Kaduna.
On Monday, the 1st of February, 2016 we returned to the Court. NP once more asked for three weeks to complete their investigation. My legal team resisted that and raised a motion for my bail. The Chief Magistrate granted the bail with conditions that were not liberal to meet up within a few hours. Because I was no longer under the custody of NP, I was lodged in Kaduna Prison on 1st February 2016 pending when I meet up with the bail terms. Within 24hrs, my legal team, friends and fans mobilized men and materials to meet the bail terms.
Without any stretch of imagination, this case is politically instigated to kill a voice of dissent in Kaduna State. Freedom and liberty enshrined in our Constitution have come under serious assault by the government of Nasir Ahmed El-Rufa’i since assuming power on 29th of May, 2015. We are sure that APC’s government in Kaduna State shall stop at nothing to seeing that opposition mouth is shut and voice quieted so as to rule with impunity.
The same El-rufa’i that is harassing, intimidating, and blackmailing innocent citizens today because they expressed disagreement and disappointment with government policies and actions enjoyed unlimited freedom and liberty while in opposition. It is on record that he tweeted and retweeted post that were not only senseless, belittling and denigrative but blasphemous to Christian religion and its adherence. He was never harassed or intimidated by the former holders of power or believers of the religion he unabashedly mocked. His deliberate and provocative excesses were tolerated and seen as part of liberties concomitant in democratic settings. The phenomenon of some person enjoying their liberties while gagging others cannot stand in Kaduna State. We know that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
My unstoppable struggle for an open society, promotion of responsible and responsive government, transparency in the act of governance, and respect for voices of dissents shall not peter-out because of crude power show of cowards who never honored Police invitations without being accompanied by Governors in recent past. I shall soldier-on and dare any aspiring dictator that is trying to condense the frontiers of liberty and freedom in Kaduna State and Nigeria at large. I shall continue to test their abiding or otherwise faith in basic tenets of democracy up to their last seconds in the office.
I want to use this opportunity to show my deepest gratitude to my team of Legal Irokos, International Rights Groups like Amnesty International, CLO, Senators of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Members of House of Representatives, patriotic citizens who surrendered their properties for me to meet up with the bail conditions, and comrades in the struggle for their overflowed solidarity.
No retreat, no surrender and no turn-tail-run.
Aluta continua, victoria ascerta.
Dr. John Danfulani
tyranny of the highest order. God will judge him
Dat serves u ryt
Dey should have cut off ur mouth. U guyz has started again with ur big liars… u ppl won’t let our p to rest abi…
Can you kindly rebroadcast what you wrote for the whole world to see? If you can say those words to your father talk less of your President????
Oboy no dei lie 4 us joor
anything you can not say to your father, don’t say it to someone older dan your grand father, useless boy.
u will spend a century behind bars if u don’t mind ur biznes
We r in d erra of democracy…… President is above fellow Nigerian…… Every has his or her right to express their opinion period !!!!
You never go to jail , but you preparing lie
uv jst started dey wil soon take u 2 remind u busyles fellow
You need more days indetantion if you go beyong ur schdule.
U only want to paint Buarhi as a dictator. Buarhi get time for u?
Good for you
I love that fool like u.
They should detained you there till the end of 2020 be careful what you wish for guy mumu like ur tipe
u r a religious bigot so yr purging mouth should b silence else u wil die n som innocent people.so shut up or criticise sensibly witout abusing som1s religion coz kd is volatile.
It was unfair & unconsitutional.
Fr ur mynd u be don jazzy abiii, shei u b d boko haram way dem de fyn abii…
You are suppose to riot in jail idiot
Don’t do it again please
is a lie
Get urself a job
i think we are all entitled 2 our own opinions.i dnt see anytin wrong wit wot he did
Repeat it tomorrow. You ppl has no respect to ur leaders
Just 6 days nd u ar complaining.y nt 2yrs.
Aderemi Sanni, define democracy or shut ur trap. There’s freedom of speech in Nigeria, if what he posted is libelous, the recipient should sue. That’s the right approach. His arrest and detention is unlawful . We should discourage impunity in our polity.
“Bobonclack” did anybody force u to comment? Lil check ur grammar before u fool urself again.
he was even lying cos there’s many of them whose criticized buhari alots and they dont do them anything. So he’s lying i dont believe this guy.
U want to become popular next time u will rotten in kirikiri prison stupid man
d guy is mad buhari is a fool
Chris St Ernest you see the way you ridiculed yourself. Freedom of speech in democracy override the commandment of God? The bible enjoying us to respect our parent and all other people older than us… I think that is not in your bible Ernest? How much more of the president. Let him rebroadcast what he wrote for you his lawyer for interpretation. He who useless somebody who can father him useless his father and whoever insulted his father should be caned. Chikenna!
The definition of democracy is government of the people by the people for the people. So kindly point out where the word rude, insult, abuse, ridicule or what have you surfaced Chris St Ernest.
Is this criticism? THESE ARE SOME OF THE TWO ‘HATE SPEECH” OF MR JOHN DANDULANI THAT I THINK RESULTED TO HIS SUSPENSION FROM KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY;
(ONE)
APC SIMPLETONS OF NORTHERN NIGERIA
To them, APC is a religious party.Northern leaders
under the party are demigods and crusaders of
their ways of life.These people living in dusty
villages of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa
are quick in calling you “Arne or Kafiri” once you
express your view on anything their God PMB and
his brigade of small Angels are doing.
With their harmattan ravaged faces, rough legs,
and brown teeth, they behave like a hard of
sheep. All they bragged at is numbers…numbers
that is economically useless and a gigantic social
menace to Nigeria. A useless number that over
12m kids are rooming the streets with rubber
plates begging for food. A useless number
spreading polio in the entire continent.
Who amongst them is strong enough to seal my
lips on fuel scarcity and hardship we are
experiencing? If PMB is your God and support for
him an act worship, go ahead but don’t think you
can force that on me.
I want to travel abroad, I can’t buy dollars in
official quarter, and can’t use my ATM abroad. Is
it their fathers money? Am I a thief? Our people
don’t steal…no single Southern Kaduna man has
any EFCC case. It’s their people that stole this
country dry. Look at the names of the thrives and
where they came from. Stealing is deeply
embedded in their culture. Tics!
Attack the Attacker, and let high skies fall.
(2)
OUR PROBLEM IN NIGERIA
Swear by Trinity the problem of this 1914
amalgam is northern Nigeria. Northerners refused
to accept incontrovertible cum impeccable reality
that, it is the British Colonial Masters that made
them “lords”over others. And wrote fake history
of their conquests .
Just look at the coup plotters from July 1967 to
date. Can you see the coup speech makers and
head of the plotters? Can’t you see they are all
northerners? They are enemies of democracy and
an open society.
Take a look at looters of this country, what is the
list telling you? Can’t you similarity of names and
region? They are natural looters and kleptocratic
in disposition.
Look at insurgency and killing of innocent people
in the name of God. Are there people from the
south? No. God knows where they got this
mentality of wasting lives and properties from.
Come with me. Which region has over 12 million
kids holding plastic rubbers and loitering the
streets despite stealing from the country’s till by
their elites? These kids are their ready army of
destruction and killing innocent people in times of
crises.
Who are the people that easily invoke some
derogatory Arabic words on you once you don’t
accept their foolishness and lordship? Northerner,
of course.
Which states have VVF, lepers, cripples and blind
people in this country? Can’t you see? Are they
not all northerners?
Which enclave has the highest infant and
maternal mortality rate? Study and see, you will
see that the north is leading.
Where on earth polio is still threatening kids?
Where on earth a common classroom math
teacher challenged a vaccine globally certified
since the 50? Only in Northern Nigeria.
They are a course to this nation. Period.
John Danfulani.
There’s freedom of speech in democracy,but who will guarantee ur life after speech?that’s the implication
No one will guarantee ur life after speech?take note
Who send u?
U ll nao limit ur tongue & respect header
a former govnor criticise gej in facebook got sack…@Nyako
You never see something, you will soon be in jail.
Only if that’s true
but we are in a free world
Danfulani ABU activism is still in you but you should know that you are more mature now so criticize with maturity you dont insult the office and person of president as if you are still student leader
DAT is your problem
If is so then all igbos now suppose to be in detention by now
Hear ur stupid self talk but GEJ was criticised,are we in military era were no one speaks. May GOD have mercy.
U cnt sack governor oga….dnt giv us that crap here. Whats d governor name
Wetin concern igbos here now oga.
Aderemi Sanni, Dan Alabura and Hamidu Umar is buhari a god? What the young man wrote were not insults but the truth which you people misconstrued. Why are you bringing religion in to the discourse aderemi? Whoever feel insulted should head to the Court for redress and not resorting to obnoxious dictatorship of 1984. This is not a military regime.
how come these other ones insulting Buhari everyday not in detention? with this lie alone, you deserve 8 months in detention.
You are liar! Those who abuse Buhari, post a dehumanizing photo of him are going about freely without any body molesting them, how much less criticism that they would detained for 6 day. You a paid liar!
Bitterness unlimited @ Ihetu Dave
Why should you call him mumu?
Why wouldnt i call him mumu when he is lie
As young as u r u singlehandedly turn urset to foolish man.u r still going back to d prison dis time
For false allegation.mumu