Amnesty International has condemned the detention of public affairs analyst Dr.Bashir Kurfi, calling it arbitrary and an attack on freedom of expression.Kurfi was detained by Katsina State Police over a petition linked to his comments on a TV programme about security issues.The organisation alleges a plot to keep him in detention indefinitely through fabricated charges and a sham trial.They claim the government is targeting him for questioning its response to bandit attacks rather than addressing the crisis.

Amnesty warns this move suppresses dissent and discourages public scrutiny of the government's handling of the security situation, which has claimed hundreds of lives.

The group highlights that criticism of government policies is protected under freedom of expression and criticises the authorities for failing to address bandit attacks while targeting citizens who demand better security.Similar cases of intimidation and arbitrary arrests of activists and farmers have been documented since 2020.The Katsina State Government and police have not responded to these allegations.