Taraba Senator Orders Detention Of Constituent Over Criticism

The senator representing Taraba North at the National Assembly, Sen. Shuaibu Lau, ordered the arrest and detention of Mr Nafiu Hassan, a social media critic from Jalingo local government area of the state, for criticising his political activities on social media.

Hassan, a social media critic and his crew members were arrested in Jalingo on Friday by security personnel attached to the wife of Sen. Lau.

Hassan recently criticised Sen. Lau on his Tik-Tok handle, “Seacher Mama,” for not bringing development to his hometown (Lau), which was ravaged by floods in the recent heavy downpours.

Hassan in the same Tik-Tok video, criticised Sen. Lau for not bringing education close to the locals after spending 12 years as a senator representing Taraba north senatorial district. “12 years of a senator from Lau local government area of nothing to show, no road, no primary schools, anytime it rains, Lau community is not accessible,” Hassan stated in the Hausa language.

Meanwhile, Nafiu Hassan’s mother, Mrs Dudu Hassan, has pleaded with the senator and all well-meaning Nigerians to assist her in letting her son regain freedom from police custody. She stated that he (Nafiu Hassan) is the breadwinner of the family, and life has been difficult without him.

LEADERSHIP gathered that at the time of the report, Hassan’s crew members, who were also arrested alongside him, had been released from the police cell, leaving Hassan alone at GRA Police in Jalingo, the state capital.

When contacted, Sen. Lau confirmed the arrest of Hassan, stating that the social media critic was arrested while he was trying to video his house in Jalingo, where his wife and children were living.

“I am in Abuja as I speak to you. The young man went to video my house in Jalingo. My wife and the children just travelled from Abuja to Jalingo. The security attached to my wife saw him and his people moving around the house, which was why he was arrested.

“The security doesn’t know his mission to the house. He criticised me on social media, but I didn’t care. Now that he has reached the level of going to my house, it is worrisome to me and my family, and he needs to be questioned. He must write undertaken before he will be released,” Sen. Lau stated while responding to the incident.