By Umar Sani Yakubu
The National Assembly has been urged to speed up the passage of the digital rights freedom bill in the country.
This call was made in a press conference by the Executive Director of the Center for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, Yunusa Zakari Ya’u as presented by the center’s senior program officer, Isah Garba.
While speaking on the detention of Mrs. Rhoda Jatau in Bauchi State, he called on the government to direct the Attorney General of the state to facilitate the immediate and unconditional release of Mrs Rhoda Jatau.
He said, “She should be released and all charges against her be dropped”
He said the arrest of Mrs. Jatau by the Security Operatives for sharing a WhatsApp message to her friends condemning the killing of a student in Sokoto for alleged blasphemy has violated her constitutional right to freedom of expression and speech as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Zakari Ya’u explained that “the arrest and repeated denial of bail to Rhoda is not only an injustice but also an attack on the digital rights of every citizen in the country.”
The director then called on the media organizations, civil society organizations, and lawyers nationwide to amplify the voices of Mrs. Jatau and other citizens who face similar predicaments.
Recall that on May 20th, 2022 the security operatives in Bauchi state arrested and picked up Mrs Rhoda Jatau at her residence for allegations of inciting public disturbance.