Man arrested for Facebook slur on politician

A man has been detained after making a Facebook comment that put a curse on a governor in northern Nigeria

A police spokesman says Moukhtar Ibrahim Aminu was arrested in Jigawa state for defamation after making the comment about Gov.

Sule Lamido. The comment, posted Jan. 18 on the social networking website in the local Hausa language, said: “Allah curse Sule Lamido  and all his useless friends.”   

Lamido’s spokesman declined to immediately comment.

The arrest comes as Nigeria approaches a crucial April presidential election. While newspapers do publish critical columns  on politicians, bribes paid to journalists help control coverage in  Africa’s most populous nation. Those who don’t fall in line often face threats and beatings.

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