Amnesty faults flogging of Kano comedians

Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, has expressed concern over the ruling of a magistrate court to punish stand-up comedians for allegedly defaming Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

A Kano magistrate court, on Monday, ordered 20 lashes each to be administered on two comedians, Mubarak Muhammad and Nazifi Bala, for defaming the character of Ganduje on their Tik-tok accounts.

In a statement, yesterday, Ojigho said the authorities must quash flogging sentence of Tik-tokers, noting that satirising those in authority is not a crime.

She said: “Amnesty International condemns the sentencing of Tik-Tokers, Mubarak Muhammad (Uniquepikin) and Nazifi Muhammad for allegedly defaming the governor of Kano in Northern Nigeria.”

Specifically, she said the decision to remand them in prison for a week without trial was a brazen violation of their fair trial rights.

Authorities, she insisted, must immediately and unconditionally release the two entertainers, as they are sentenced solely for peacefully exercising their human rights.