23-Year-Old Man Jailed Over Facebook Post Finally Freed After Public Uproar, Petition Withdrawal

After spending over a week behind bars for a Facebook post that didn’t even name names, 23-year-old Abubakar Gossima has finally regained his freedom thanks to a wave of public pressure and the sudden withdrawal of a petition by a top Jigawa State government aide.

Gossima was nabbed on July 10 by plainclothes police officers in Jigawa while traveling to Dutse. He was whisked off to Abuja and held at the Asokoro Police Station all for a post on Facebook calling out shady political candidates. The post, written in Hausa, warned voters not to support anyone with a questionable background. No names. No direct insults. Still, it rubbed someone powerful the wrong way.

The man behind the petition is Aliyu Hussaini Suleiman, the Jigawa Governor’s aide on Inter-governmental Affairs. Many questioned why a vague post triggered such a heavy-handed response fueling fears about Nigeria’s creeping crackdown on free speech.

Human rights activists, especially Omoyele Sowore, rallied support for Gossima. Public pressure mounted. Even Gossima’s family accused the police of denying the arrest at first until they were forced to admit he was in custody.

On Thursday, Gossima was finally released after the petitioner withdrew the case. Taking to Facebook, Gossima gave an emotional shoutout to Sowore and journalists who fought for his voice.

“Omoyele Sowore, I don’t know how to thank you… May Allah bless you and your family. Thank you for coming through for me,” he wrote.

Gossima’s arrest over a nameless Facebook post highlights the escalating suppression of free expression in Nigeria. Critics argue this could set a dangerous precedent where anyone speaking truth to power risks jail no names needed.

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