Social media commentator ‘abducted’ in Kano over anti-govt’s  Facebook posts

A  social media commentator, Mr. Nura Usman, widely known as Kowa Naka, has reportedly been abducted and detained by security operatives in Kano, allegedly over critical Facebook posts targeting the Kaduna State Government.

In a petition dated May 2, 2025, addressed to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Thunders Law Firm accused operatives of Operation Fushin Kada — a multi-agency task force involving the Nigerian Army, Navy, DSS, Police, and other security bodies — of unlawfully arresting, torturing, and detaining Mr. Usman.

According to the petition, Mr. Usman was seized on the night of April 30 by heavily armed officers believed to be members of the task force.

The law firm, acting on behalf of Mr. Usman’s wife, Mrs. Amina Ashiru, detailed how the couple was ambushed near Bayero University, Kano, where Mr. Usman is pursuing a postgraduate degree.

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He was allegedly blindfolded, assaulted, and forced into the trunk of a vehicle. His wife was reportedly slapped, threatened at gunpoint, and physically attacked when she protested.

The petition further alleged that Mr. Adnan Mukhtar Tudun Wada, a close friend of Mr. Usman, was also detained after being tricked by a fake DHL delivery call. While in custody, he reportedly encountered operatives who identified themselves as members of the Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) and confirmed that Mr. Usman was arrested on the orders of high-ranking Kaduna officials in response to his Facebook posts on April 28 and 29.

It claims Mr. Usman is being held at an Operation Fushin Kada facility on Constitution Road, Kaduna, without access to legal counsel or his family.
The law firm is calling for an independent probe into what it describes as “systemic abuse of state power for political repression.”

The petition stresses that the actions of the operatives breach multiple constitutional rights, including those protecting personal liberty, freedom of expression, human dignity, and safeguards against inhuman treatment, as enshrined in Sections 34, 35, 38, and 39 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, and affirmed by international human rights charters.

The firm is demanding Mr. Usman’s immediate and unconditional release, warning that failure to act risks undermining public trust in state institutions and emboldening unlawful conduct by security agencies.

The petition partly reads: “We are solicitors to Mrs. Amina Ashiru, the wife of Mr. Nura Usman, popularly known as Kowa Naka, residing at No. AW 54, Mando Road, Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Kaduna — a potential politician with a bright future, on whose behalf we write.

“Our client has informed us as follows: That on the 30th of April, 2025, at around 8:00 PM, she and her husband were peacefully walking out of Bayero University, Kano — where Mr. Usman is enrolled in a master’s/postgraduate program — when heavily armed men identified as members of Operation Fushin Kada surrounded them and whisked Mr. Usman away.

“He was bundled into the trunk of a vehicle, blindfolded, severely beaten, and humiliated.

“When our client attempted to speak up for her husband, two identified officers slapped, punched, and pushed her to the ground. They pointed guns at her head and threatened to shoot her if she asked any further questions.

“She only learnt the details behind her husband’s arrest and whereabouts after Mr. Adnan Mukhtar Tudun Wada — a close friend of Mr. Usman — revealed on May 1, 2025, that he had also been detained by Operation Fushin Kada. He had been lured by a fake phone call claiming to be from a DHL delivery agent.

“During his detention, Mr. Tudun Wada encountered the same operatives — Mr. Shu’aibu and Mr. Sunday — who allegedly claimed affiliation with the SIB and confirmed that Mr. Usman was arrested on orders from powerful officials within the Kaduna State Government over his Facebook posts of April 28 and 29. Screenshots of these posts have been attached as Annexures A and B.

“All efforts by our client to contact her husband have been unsuccessful. The operatives of Operation Fushin Kada have reportedly vowed to ‘silence’ and ‘vanish’ him from the political space.

“We respectfully urge your office to immediately launch a detailed investigation into the activities of Operation Fushin Kada, with the aim of bringing all those responsible to justice.

“Furthermore, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Nura Usman and the cessation of all threats and intimidation against him and other citizens in similar situations,” the petition added.

(SAHARA REPORTERS)