According to available information, the editor’s arrest and detention followed the publication of an article titled “Dear Governor Yusuf, Beware of Kano Information Commissioner Ibrahim Waiya” on the Kano Times website.

The Kano State Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, has been accused of ordering the arrest of a journalist — the editor of Kano Times — over a critical article published on the Kano Times website.

SaharaReporters gathered that the editor of Kano Times, Mr. Buhari Abba, was arrested on the orders of the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya.

According to available information, the editor’s arrest and detention followed the publication of an article titled “Dear Governor Yusuf, Beware of Kano Information Commissioner Ibrahim Waiya” on the Kano Times website. 

The article was published on February 24, 2025.

The article, it was noted, “raised legitimate concerns about the conduct of the Commissioner.”

Waiya was accused of resorting “to strong-arm tactics by using the Nigerian Police to intimidate and detain a journalist.”

A statement by Kano Times noted that the arrest “was not just a personal attack on the editor; it is an assault on every journalist and media house committed to truth and accountability.”

“Governor Yusuf must recognise that such actions do not serve his administration well. Instead of protecting his government, they paint it as intolerant of dissent and hostile to free expression. This contradicts the very principles that brought him to power and the expectations of the people of Kano State, who deserve an open and transparent government,” it was noted.

Kano Times demanded that the Kano State governor “call Commissioner Waiya to order.”
It was further argued that no “government official should weaponise state institutions to settle personal grievances.”

Other demands included ensuring that “press freedom is respected—journalists must be able to work without fear of arrest or intimidation.”

The commissioner was also “asked to drop all charges against the detained editor,” noting that “the criminalization of journalism must not be allowed to stand.”

The governor, Abba Yusuf, was also urged to reaffirm his commitment to free speech through his intervention, with Kano Times stating that “a public statement condemning attacks on the media will go a long way in restoring confidence in his leadership.”

The statement further warned that Governor Yusuf’s silence on this matter “will be interpreted as complicity.”

“A government that cannot tolerate scrutiny is a government that has something to hide. We urge the governor to take decisive action now — before this crisis escalates,” the statement by the organisation further read.