https://www.instagram.com/p/BRlt4abDVvH/?taken-by=wildeyeq

Audu Maikori, the founder of Chocolate City Entertainment was first arrested in Kaduna on the 17th of February after making a tweet concerning the killing of the five students of College of Education. He alleged that the Fulani herdsmen were responsible for their deaths and since then, the government has been on his case. Despite his  admitting  he was misinformed by his driver before taking down the controversial tweet, the Kaduna State Government still called for an arrest of the pseudo-activist in the weeks following the incident.

After a first arrest, Audu was released amidst sighs of relief from fans and well wishers but their relief was short lived by a second arrest on the 10th of February. Although police deny being responsible for Audu’s second arrest, reports confirm that the entrepreneur  was confined in a police facility till the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice took his case file from the police. Audu’s second arrest comes a week after Kaduna State governor promised to ensure that Audu got prosecuted for attempting to spur up violence in the Southern part of the state.

Considering how quick the Chocolate City boss was to retract his statement and apologise for his error, it is easy to understand why he has won the support of many Nigerians who have taken their protest to social media with the hashtag #FreeAudu. The government however saw the situation as an opportunity to impede on the civic rights of a citizen and persecute anyone trying to oppose the government. This follows a similarly hostile government reaction to 2face’s planned protest earlier this year and has been flouted in some quarters as the government’s lack of tolerance for opposition.

In spite of the government’s aberrations we can not ignore Audu’s initial error. We can’t argue for what his intentions were or weren’t, but considering his law degree and celebrity status, he should know better than to put his integrity and influence behind disruptive statements. Spreading information capable of inciting violence without verification is merely adding to ills of a ‘Fake News’ phenomenon that has become one of the biggest problems of modern information dissemination in recent times. It’s people who say things without first confirming if it’s true that makes the job of civil rights activists harder.

Still, in all respect for basic human rights, we are glad that sanity has been restored by the judiciary who have stepped up to take up the case from the police to ensure that between Audu and the State government, both parties get a fair hearing.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/audumaikori

Meet Oscar Ekponimo, the Nigerian allievating hunger with his app