The Maison de la presse, an association of Niger press organs, as well as Reporters without Borders (RSF) condemned the imprisonment of Samira Sabou, Nigerian journalist-blogger, accused of defamation in her publications on the overcharging case, on Thursday. when purchasing military equipment for the army.
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The Press Office, which brings together 30 Nigerian media associations, expressed its "indignation" and assured "condemn the detention of Samira Sabou" , in a press release issued on Thursday. "Without judging the merits of the case, no journalist prosecuted for facts unambiguously related to his professional activity should find himself deprived of his freedom," said Arnaud Froger, head of RSF's Africa office. "This arrest constitutes a very dangerous and empty step back from its substance, the press law of 2010, the prohibition of preventive detention of which for journalists had constituted a major advance".
"We urge the Nigerien authorities not to undermine the efforts made in recent years with regard to press freedom. This journalist must be released, ” he concludes. Samira Sabou was placed under warrant on Wednesday after a complaint for "defamation filed by the son and deputy chief of staff to President Mahamadou Issoufou (Sani Mahamadou Issoufou is the deputy chief of staff to the president)", according to several relatives of the journalist on their Facebook pages and in WhatsApp groups.
A source close to the complainant "confirmed" to AFP the complaint motivated by "the accusations" made by the journalist in a post on Facebook. This May 26 post, still visible, accuses a businessman who is a friend of the president's son of "capturing the defense ministry's contracts on behalf of the boss's son." The overcharging affair caused a stir in Niger after the dissemination on social networks of extracts from an audit report on these irregularities. According to these extracts, these embezzlements relate to hundreds of millions of euros.
Justice announced on April 8 to open an investigation into the case, which broke out in February. At the end of February, the government announced that an audit requested by President Issoufou had revealed overcharging and unsuccessful deliveries to the army, which since 2015 has been fighting jihadists in the south-east and west of the country. The scandal shocked public opinion all the more since between December 2019 and January 2020, nearly 200 Nigerien soldiers were killed in jihadist attacks. On March 15, violent clashes broke out between law enforcement and demonstrators demanding sanctions in the scandal. At least three figures from civil society are still incarcerated.