Nigerian journalist arrested in Niger

A Nigerian journalist, Danjuma Lawan Adamu has been arrested by security officials in Niger.

The Nigerien officials are said to have arrested him for allegedly being in possession of inappropriate travel documents.

“I got necessary travel approvals from the Nigerien consulate in Kano, Nigeria and at every checkpoint; I presented them upon request and was allowed to proceed,” Adamu said according to a statement released by Daily Trust Editor-in-Chief Mallam Mannir Dan Ali.

“I had passed up to 10 checkpoints and was cleared accordingly until I approached Agadez. The security alleged that the document authorizing my journey was signed but wasn’t stamped. I have been detained since then and am left wondering how I should be punished for a fault of no mine,” the statement added further quoting Adamu.

Dan Ali also demanded the immediate release of the detained journalist:

“As an experienced cross border reporter, Lawan Danjuma sought and got the relevant documentation from the Kano Consulate office of the Nigerien embassy after stating his mission to Agadez,” he said.

"We see the arrest as an infringement of his right as an ECOWAS citizen and have since reached the Nigerien authorities to ask for the release of the reporter. We are shocked that more than 24 hours after the arrest, he still is being held and his freedom is being curtailed,” he added.

Agadez is an access point between West and North Africa and is considered as a major passage through which thousands of African migrants are illegally transported to Europe through the Mediterranean.