LAGOS
Dozens of Nigerian activists staged a protest on Saturday to demand that authorities explain the recent disappearance of a tweeter who live-posted photos of Boko Haram militants breaking out of a secret police headquarters in Abuja on March 30.
"We have information that he has been released but the family and Yusuf himself seem to be under some gag order not to talk about it. That is unacceptable," Ayo Sogunro, who co-organized the rally, told Anadolu Agency.
The placard-carrying protesters – all of them youngsters – converged on the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex from where they headed to the Lagos office of the Department of State Security (DSS), popularly known as the secret police.
Several rallies were also staged in other major cities, including the capital Abuja, according to AA correspondent.
Isiaka Yusuf, who works close to the scene of the jailbreak, rose to prominence after tweeting a blow-by-blow account of the incident, along with pictures of the clashes that erupted between the escapees and security agents.
At least 21 inmates died and a number of security personnel were injured in clashes with suspected Boko Haram members who had managed to overpower their captors and escape from the facility.
Yusuf last tweeted using his Twitter handle – @ciaxon – on March 30. He was last seen by family members and friends the same day, raising concerns for his safety.
Activists have launched a massive online campaign on Twitter and Facebook to demand that authorities reveal his location.
"The reason they released him is to stop this protest," Sogunro said.
"But the point is that nevertheless the government cannot just walk away with this. They must answer for it. This is something that affects the fundamental right of not just the detainees but everyone. And to the extent that they have refused to give any official statement or apology or take responsibility for it, it is bad enough," he said.
Asked whether he was certain Yusuf was detained by the secret police, Sogunro said: "That is the point. They are clouding it in secrecy".
"His colleagues stated that those who picked him up are members of the strike force from the presidency. But it was the secret police that came to identify him," he said.
AA could not reach the released tweeter for comment.
Security and government officials have not commented on the issue.
By Rafiu Ajakaye
englishnews@aa.com.tr
