Taraba senator’s wife orders police to arrest skitmaker over video criticising poor roads

Taraba police arrest skit maker Nafiu Hassan for criticising road conditions; Senator’s wife, Hajia Fatima Lau, orders detention.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n an incident sparking public outrage, Nafiu Hassan, a skit maker in Taraba State, was arrested and detained by the police on the orders of Hajia Fatima Lau, wife of Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau, who represents the Taraba North senatorial district.

Hassan was detained for five days after creating a satirical video highlighting the deteriorating state of roads in the district.

The skit, which aired about a month ago, drew attention to the dangerous and deplorable conditions of the roads, which have turned into “killing zones” due to neglect and disrepair.

According to sources, the video did not sit well with Hajia Lau. While passing through Jalingo’s GRA Division last Wednesday, she saw Hassan on her street and reportedly called the police to have him arrested, accusing him of “cyberstalking and criminal character assassination.”

Witnesses reported that officers accompanying her vehicle detained and allegedly assaulted Hassan before taking him to the GRA Division in Jalingo, where he was held without bail until Sunday.

“Nafiu was accused of character defamation and conspiracy, but the charges are baseless,” a source close to Hassan told SaharaReporters.

“This is not an isolated incident involving the Senator’s wife. Several residents have previously accused her of using law enforcement to intimidate citizens.”

According to another local, this is the fifth known instance of Hajia Lau ordering detentions.

They cited an incident where two young men, inadvertently brushing against her convoy due to traffic, were detained for three weeks.

In another case, she reportedly ordered soldiers to assault ten individuals visiting her husband, instructing the soldiers to follow each person to their homes and subject them to physical abuse.

These allegations raise concerns about the role of political influence in local law enforcement, with residents expressing fears of speaking out. SaharaReporters attempted to contact Senator Lau for comments, but he has not responded to calls or messages at the time of this report.

The incident comes on the heels of a similar controversy involving Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives. Ikwechegh was captured on video assaulting a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, in Abuja.

The lawmaker later apologised for his actions and was arraigned in a Kuje magistrates’ court, where he pleaded not guilty to assault charges and was granted bail.

Both cases have stirred considerable discussion on social media, with calls for public officials to demonstrate greater accountability and for Nigeria’s legal system to protect citizens’ rights against abuse of power.