A group operating under the aegis of ‘Citizens for Steven Kefas’ has raised the alarm over what it called Human Rights violations in Kaduna state allegedly unleashed by agents of the state against its citizens.
The group worried over the continued incarceration of one Mr Steven Kefas, a Southern Kaduna indigene, alleged that “the state is acting in conspiracy with judicial officials to foist and atmosphere of fear, panic and lack of observance of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of citizens.”
The group therefore demanded for the immediate release from prison of Kefas, who has spent in Kaduna prison for 139 days (as at yesterday) without bail for criticising Governor Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai over devastations of Southern Kaduna communities and mindless murders of peaceful citizens by rampaging herdsmen amongst others.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko also called on the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) “to investigate how a Nigerian citizen could face such an indefinite prison detention over a spurious allegation that attracts simpler bail conditions.”
Onwubiko enjoined all people of conscience to join in calling Justice Mairo Mohammed to grant Kefas bail to allow for a dispassionate dispensation of justice.
Tracing the ordeals of Kefas, the group stated that “Since the emergence of el-Rufai as governor in 2015, the rising profile of Kefas has turned him the most vocal and consistent critic of the state government.
“As an indigene of Kaduna state, with deep grassroots connections, Kefas had developed an intricate web of sources for information on latest happenings in the state, especially on the spate of insecurity brought about by blood-thirsty herdsmen.
“Owing to his interest and network of informants, both within and outside of government, he would always be the first to break the news on mass killings in the state, especially in Southern Kaduna communities.
“For exposing the underbelly of falsehood over the rising spate of bloodshed and massive destructions in Kaduna State, the government was always angry at the sterling disposition of this social media activist whose social media activism was exposing the hair-rising massacres going on with pictorial evidence of human carnage.
“As the army of critics got arrested and thrown into jail by the Kaduna State Government, Steven kept getting threats of arrests over his activism.
“The intolerance of the el-Rufai government towards Kefas’ relentless criticism reached its crescendo during the massacre of Adara natives and the decimation of their villages in Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna State in March 2019.
“Shortly before that, Kefas had maintained a robust hashtag #WhoKilledAgomAdara in the quest to unearth forces behind the gruesome kidnap and subsequent assassination of the Agom Adara, Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima in October 2018.
“Thereafter, the Adara would later discover that Adara Chiefdom had been split into Kachia Chiefdom and Kajuru Emirate long before the shocking murder of the Agom Adara.
“In the heat of the Adara massacres, the Chairman of Kajuru LGA, Mr Cafra Caino, whose coming to office was deemed controversial among his Adara kinsmen, reportedly held a birthday party. Kefas would later lampoon Caino on social media platforms for being insensitive to the plight of his people.
“Before then, Governor el-Rufai had arrested the second in command to the stool of the Agom Adara, Engr. Bawa Magaji, and the Chairman of Adara Development Association (ADA), Mr. Dio Maisamari, among others, and clamped them into jail over allegation of culpable homicide. After over 100 days in Kaduna Prison, the Adara elders were set free as there was no any shred of evidence linking them to the allegation.”
The group further explained how Kefas march to incarceration without bail began: “On the 8th May, 2019, Kefas was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, in a mafiaso-style operation by a combined team of policemen from Kaduna.
He was initially detained in Minikoro Police Area Command in Port Harcourt, from where he was driven to Kaduna and detained by the Kaduna State Investigation Bureau (KSIB).
“On the 13th of May, 2019, Kefas was arraigned before Magistrate Court 11 where he was told that his arraignment were based on two petitions. One of the petitions emanated from the Office of the Special Adviser to Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Legal Matters, Aisha Dikko (now the current Commissioner of Justice), dated 21st March.
“In the petition, Kefas had on his twitter handle, @realKefason, made disparaging remarks against Governor el-Rufai which the Kaduna State Government deemed were capable of inciting public disturbance in the state.
“The second petition was from Cafra Caino, dated 24th April, 2019, in which he accused Kefas of disparaging his name to the extent that he had become a subject of public odium in his LGA.
“When the charges were read to him, Kefas pleaded not guilty. Despite argument against his bail by the prosecution team, led by Barr. Bayero, the Magistrate granted Kefas bail with two sureties. He was subsequently set free and the Magistrate warned the police not to arrest him on the same issues again. But in a flagrant disregard to the ruling of the court, the sureties of Kefas were put under pressure by the police to turn in the activist to the SIB Kaduna.
“On the 21st May, 2019, Kefas turned himself in. The police seized his phones as exhibits to be tendered during prosecution. He was detained by the KSIB for two weeks, despite an earlier bail ruling by a Magistrate Court. On the 3rd of June, he was re-arraigned before another Magistrate Court. This time around, the charge was premised on Cafra’s petition.
“The new Magistrate refused to grant bail to Kefas and upheld the argument by the state counsels that, while Kefas was under the two week’s detention of the police, he was engaged in social media activism. No evidence whatsoever was tendered to prove the frivolous allegation. How Kefas could be engaged in social media postings, using a phone that had been seized by the police, still remains a mystery.
“With bail denied by the Magistrate, Kefas was remanded in Kaduna Prison. On the 20th June 2019, his case was transferred to Kaduna High Court 2 before Justice Mairo Mohammed. After studying arguments for and against bail, she adjourned judgement to 27th June, 2019.
“Justice Mairo on that day claimed that Kefas was still accessing social media platforms while under police detention. Ever since, Kefas has so far spent 139 days in Kaduna Prison over a bailable offence.
“In the first place, it is impossible for Kefas to have had access to social media platforms since his phones were seized by the police who had kept him under tight custody. Again, there was no court that had ruled that it was an offence on the part of Kefas to use the social media while undergoing prosecution,” the group argued.
