By Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, Sept 22, 2026
KADUNA — Rights groups and media advocates have called on Nigerian authorities and the Kaduna State Police Command to immediately end the ongoing harassment, intimidation, and high-handed operations directed at JKD Radio/Television, following the declaration of one of its prominent presenters, Zainab Salihu Yabagi, as a wanted person.
The police dragnet thrown around the journalist stems from a video explainer produced and broadcast by the media outlet concerning Mr. Ibrahim Masari, a Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The ordeal began on September 11, 2026, when a heavily armed contingent of police officers invaded the Kaduna state operational studios of JKD Radio/Television. Eye-witness accounts indicated that the security operatives forcefully gained access to the broadcast facilities under the initial pretext of searching for Ms. Yabagi in connection with an alleged “stolen phone.”
During the aggressive siege on the newsroom, the command’s operatives arrested the station’s General Manager, Mr. Charles Abah, alongside a security officer on duty. Both men were taken into custody and detained for over seven hours before being released.
However, the police later changed their official narrative. Days after the raid, the Kaduna State Police Command formally declared Zainab Yabagi wanted, citing grave charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal defamation, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying—all linked to her broadcast report on Mr. Masari.
Media watchdogs and civil society stakeholders have condemned the police action, describing the declaration of a journalist as “wanted” for performing standard duties as an alarming escalation in the repression of press freedom across the country.
Speaking on the incident, press freedom advocates stressed that the use of severe criminal allegations like cyberstalking to target reporters highlights a broader pattern of shrinking civic space in Nigeria. Under this climate, journalists, human rights defenders, and whistleblowers increasingly face arbitrary arrest, illegal detention, intimidation, and strategic legal suits designed to silence public scrutiny.
”Declaring a journalist wanted simply for doing her job is part of an unacceptable pattern of state abuse,” a civic advocate noted. “The Nigeria Police Force must uphold the due process of law and refrain from transforming into an instrument for political actors to settle personal grievances through arbitrary arrests and unlawful restrictions on freedom of expression.”
This incident comes amidst heightened national debate regarding the application of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 and its amended 2024 provisions. While the law was designed to curb digital fraud and high-level cybercrime, critics charge that federal and state security agencies frequently weaponize provisions such as “cyberstalking” to suppress investigative reporting and critical commentaries targeting public officials.
Over the past few years, several broadcast channels, print journalists, and online publishers have faced raids, regulatory fines by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), or arrest by security forces over reports concerning political figures.
The current standoff at JKD Radio/Television mirrors previous high-profile clampdowns where security forces used minor or shifted allegations—ranging from breach of peace to stolen property—to justify entering media premises before bringing weightier statutory charges.
Rights observers have repeatedly warned that using state police infrastructure to enforce personal non-criminal grievances weakens public trust in law enforcement institutions and undermines the constitutional guarantees provided under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees freedom of expression and the press.
Calls on the Federal Government
Media organizations and civil society coalitions have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to intervene and halt the systematic targeting of newsrooms.
They emphasized that a thriving democracy relies on an independent, secure, and unhindered press capable of holding public officers accountable without the threat of police raids or politically motivated prosecutions. Stakeholders demanded an immediate cessation of all hostile actions against JKD Radio/Television and the withdrawal of the wanted notice issued against Zainab Salihu Yabagi.
