The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has blasted the Jigawa State Police Command for what it described as the “blatant and illegal detention” of civic activist Comrade Abiyo Roni, accusing the police of acting as political thugs for local authorities rather than protectors of citizens’ rights.
Abiyo Roni, born Abba Mu’azu, has been held at the Jigawa Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after making a social media post questioning an “empowerment” programme initiated by the Chairman of Roni Local Government, Dr. Abba Ya’u Roni — a programme widely mocked for distributing locally fabricated wheelbarrows and water jerrycans to residents.
In a statement, CITAD Executive Director, Y. Z. Ya’u, described Abiyo’s detention as “a direct attack on constitutional freedoms and yet another example of how state institutions are weaponised to silence critics.”
“Comrade Abiyo was merely exercising his lawful right to question public officials and demand accountability,” Ya’u said. “This arrest is a shameless abuse of police power and an assault on freedom of expression and personal liberty guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.”
CITAD accused the Jigawa police of acting at the behest of powerful individuals who cannot tolerate scrutiny, insisting the activist’s continued detention “exposes the persistent culture of intimidation used to shut down civic voices.”
The organization demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Abiyo Roni and called on the Inspector General of Police to launch a full-scale investigation into what it termed “the disgraceful misuse of police authority.”
CITAD also urged Jigawa State Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to stop looking away while citizens’ democratic and digital rights are trampled upon.
“Nigeria cannot move forward when dissent is treated like a crime and activists are brutalised for demanding transparency,” Ya’u warned, calling on civil society groups, human rights defenders, and the media to monitor the case and resist any attempt to suppress public accountability.
The group insisted that the arrest of Abiyo Roni is not just an attack on one activist but “a dangerous signal to all Nigerians who dare to question those in power.”