IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT UPDATE - NIGERIA

26 November 2002

Fatwa issued against journalist, editor released

SOURCE: Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), Lagos

**Updates IFEX alerts of 25 and 21 November 2002**

(IJC/IFEX) - The following is a joint letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo
by IJC and other Nigerian NGOs:

Community of Media NGOs
C/o International Press Centre
42, Ogba-Ijaye Road
Ogba, Lagos

November 26, 2002

His Excellency
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
President and Commander-In-Chief
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Presidential Villa
Aso Rock
Abuja
Federal Capital Territory

Your Excellency,

Open letter on the Fatwah pronouncement and other ordeals of THISDAY
Newspapers over the Miss World Contest.

We the undersigned, representing a community of non-governmental media
organizations, feel compelled to write you this open letter in view of the
dangerous dimensions that reactions to the November 16, 2002, news report by
THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper, on the re-located Miss World contest, are
assuming.

First and foremost, we wish to draw your attention to the lead report of the
Nigerian Tribune of Tuesday, November 26, 2002, titled "Zamfara pronounces
death sentence on journalist".

The first two paragraphs of the report stated as follows: "The Zamfara State
government on Monday passed a fatwah (death sentence) on author of the
newspaper article found blasphemous by Muslims." "The state's acting
governor, Alhaji Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi, declared at a rally in Gusau that
the lady should be beheaded as a matter of religious duty."

In the third paragraph, the report said further: "Alhaji Mamuda stated that
he was in touch with the state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Sani, who is
performing the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia, and said the governor directed
that spilling the blood of Isioma had been declared lawful."

Dear Excellency, as at the time of writing you this letter, there has been
no denial of the Tribune story by the Zamfara state government or any of its
agencies. We therefore take it that the state government stands by the said
fatwah.

Secondly, we wish to draw your attention to the fact that the Kaduna office
of THISDAY was razed by a group of protesters on Wednesday, November 20,
2002. Valuables and other property estimated at millions of Naira were lost
to the destruction.

Thirdly, we wish to bring to your attention the fact that Mr. Simon
Kolawole, Editor of THISDAY, The Saturday newspaper, was detained on Friday,
November 22, 2002, by operatives of the Abuja headquarters of the State
Security Service (SSS), where he had gone to honour an invitation over the
report in contention. He was held till Monday, November 24, 2002, when he
was released and asked to report daily to the SSS office in Lagos.

Finally, the Kano state House of Assembly last week passed a resolution
banning the circulation of THISDAY in the state.

We have gone this length in order to properly document the ordeal of
THISDAY, despite the fact that it had publicly apologized over aspects of
its November 16, 2002, report that offended Muslim sensibilities.

But what we see in these series of events suggest to us that they go beyond
mere reactions to a report considered offensive by a section of the Nigerian
populace. They constitute attacks on freedom of expression, freedom of
opinion and freedom of the press. The fatwah placed on Isioma Daniel
especially, constitutes an attack on and a violation of the right to life,
freedom and liberty of a Nigerian citizen as duly enshrined in the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We note that the THISDAY report in question has raised necessary and
pertinent questions about the social responsibilities of the press, the need
for journalists to exercise necessary caution while handling sensitive
reports and also the imperative of respecting the feelings of others while
reporting.

We agree that the 'offending' portion of the November 16, 2002, report ought
to have been removed while we also accept the newspaper's explanation that
the portion was published in error as it had been decided that it should be
expunged.

The Nigerian media fought for and cherishes the freedom it currently enjoys
even as it seeks to expand the frontiers through such enabling laws as the
proposed Freedom of Information Act. The media, to the best of our
knowledge, does not take the freedom as "license to be insensitive; to show
no consideration for other people's feelings and other people's way of
life", as the Guardian newspaper of Tuesday, November 26, 2002 quoted your
Excellency to have said in your interview with the Cable News Network -
CNN - on Monday, November 25, 2002.

However, as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and therefore the number one Chief Security Officer of the country,
you owe it a responsibility to protect the lives of all citizens
irrespective of professional calling, religion, tribe, etc. We urge you to
fulfill this constitutional mandate by taking immediate and urgent steps to
protect the life of Isioma Daniel, other journalists in the employment of
THISDAY and the entire newspaper group.

We thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Edetaen Ojo - Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
Richard Akinnola - Chairman, Center for Free Speech (CFS)
Sola Isola - Executive Director, Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Wale Adeoye - Chairman, Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER)
Lanre Arogundade - Coordinator, International Press Centre (IPC)

Cc:
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Similar appeals can be sent to:

His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
President and Commander-In-Chief
Presidential Villa
Aso Rock
Abuja
Federal Capital Territory
Federal Republic of Nigeria
E-mail: [email protected]

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Sola Isola, Executive Director, or Babafemi
Ojudu at IJC, 27 Acme Road, Ogba, Lagos, P.O. Box 7808, Ojudu, Ikeja -
Lagos, Nigeria, tel/fax: +234 1 492 4998 / 492 4314, e-mail:
[email protected], http://www.ijc-nigeria.org/

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility of IJC. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit IJC.
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