By : Abubakar Mudassiru
Accountability journalism is a role the Constitution assigns to the press. Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees every Nigerian the right to hold and express opinions, and Section 22 says the media must at all times be free to hold the government accountable to the people.
This week, those guarantees appear to have been disregarded in Kaduna. A dispute over N100 in change from a charcoal sale escalated into a police case. Farida Isiak, a 23-year-old reporter with Nagarta Radio, was reportedly taken into custody at about 10pm on October 20 by officers under the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos.
Her parents had earlier been detained. She had criticised the police’s handling of the matter on Facebook, and was reportedly forced to delete the post and apologise to the DPO before her parents were released. She was then detained and, the next day, taken to a Sharia court, where she was sentenced to four years in prison or a N1.75 million fine, reportedly without legal representation.
The Kaduna police have a different account of the same dispute. They say the matter arose from a post containing statements directed at the police, the officer concerned and his family.
Even if that is true, defamation is a valid legal basis, and journalists must report responsibly. But an allegation of defamation calls for due process, not a hurried trial. Section 36 of the Constitution guarantees the right to a fair hearing, which includes the right to defend yourself through a lawyer of your choice. A sentence handed down within a day, reportedly without counsel, falls short of that standard. Amnesty International called for the charges to be dropped and for an independent investigation into the police officers involved.
The public outrage appears to have worked. A Kaduna court has since overturned the conviction and granted her bail, with fresh proceedings set to resume on November 3. The NUJ has called for those proceedings to be free of intimidation or prejudice, and has commended the lawyers who secured her release.
That is welcome. But a conviction should not have to be undone by public outcry and a lawyer arriving just in time. If that is what it takes to restore a young journalist’s basic rights, the system has failed her.
This is not an isolated case. Nigeria ranks 112th of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, still in the “difficult” category. On the security indicator, it ranks 149th. The Committee to Protect Journalists counts at least 91 journalists arrested, attacked or harassed since May 2023.
Earlier this year, police in Bauchi State reportedly beat a radio reporter who tried to cover an Eid celebration. Each case teaches journalists what the cost of doing their job might be, and young reporters learn it fastest.
As a campus journalist, I can’t help but wonder how the system treats people who hold power accountable. Farida is the kind of reporter many of us are training to become. When a young reporter is jailed over a post, student journalists draw their own conclusions. Some will decide that investigating power is not worth the risk.
But a democratic government cannot afford a generation of reporters trained to look away. What happens next matters.
Firstly, the fresh proceedings must be fair. Farida must have a lawyer and enough time to prepare, and the court must consider the circumstances that led to the post.
Secondly, the police conduct should be investigated independently. The alleged detention of her parents and the alleged pressure to delete the post and apologise cannot be investigated by the same command.
Thirdly, the Kaduna State Government and the Inspector-General of Police should say publicly how journalists will be protected, because their silence only deepens the fear.
Journalists owe the public accuracy, but those in authority owe the public restraint. A society that punishes reporters for the questions they ask is teaching its next generation to stop asking.