Linda Ikeji’s blog reports that Audu Maikori was rushed earlier today from his holding cell in Kaduna to the police medical facility due to a respiratory infection and problems with breathing.
If you missed the story, Maikori was arrested on February 17, 2017, over the unintentional publishing of fake news. He was released on bail on or about February 18, 2017. Post release, he spent the majority of his time attending events as a panelist or moderator at various local media and entertainment industry events in Lagos. On March 7, 2017, after moderating the WIMBIZ women’s conference event, he collapsed while taking a selfie with fans. He was rushed to the hospital and released on March 8, 2017. On Friday, March 10, 2017, he was rearrested in Lagos and flown to Kaduna (a state in the Northern part of Nigeria) for arraignment today, Monday, March 13, 2017.
There have been no statements from any law enforcement spokesperson on why he was rearrested. There is no evidence that he violated bail conditions so my inference, for now, is that this situation has turned personal for the state governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, who has made it clear he will prosecute Maikori for the unintentional publishing of fake news.
As I stated in my last write up on this case, this is where Nigeria’s legal community, leaders, citizens, and fans of the entertainment industry need to mobilize and come together for Maikori. It will be deeply sad if the actions of El-Rufai seriously compromises Maikori’s health or worse result in Nigeria losing one of its finest and brightest. There should be a clear demand for the basis of the rearrest and as many as possible, including members of the press, should be present at all of his court appearances to hold the justice system and El-Rufai accountable through all of their attempts to prosecute Maikori.
In case all of this is news to you, get caught up with more context below:
- Breaking news: Police arrest Lawyer Audu Maikori for unintentional …
- Audu Maikori released on bail 24hours after his arrest, he should heed Dr. Ezekwesili’s advice
- Is El-Rufai out for blood? Police re-arrest Audu Maikori 2 days after his collapse and release from the hospital #FreeAudu
~Ms. Uduak
