Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago has ordered the arrest and detention in Minna of Malam Abdullahi Hamisu, a  All Progressives Congress (APC) polling unit mobiliser in Magajiya Ward, Suleja Local Government Area, after the man protested the lack of electricity and water supply during Eid-el-Fitr on March 20.

Sources said Hamisu was first spotted among worshippers who shouted “no light, no water” at the Eid Prayer Ground in Suleja while the governor joined the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim, and thousands of residents for the two-rakat prayers.

It was also reported that during the governor’s address at the Emir’s palace, he interrupted again with the same chant of “no light, no water”.

According to sources, the governor identified Hamisu, asked him to step forward, and told him that electricity supply was the responsibility of the distribution company and educated him on how the electricity sector works.

Bago, then, declared he would “teach him a lesson on how to approach leaders” and immediately ordered his arrest. Security operatives whisked the man away to Minna, where he remains in detention at the police headquarters.

Several attempts by family members and some residents to secure his bail have so far failed, as the police insist they would need to get instructions from the governor before any release or prosecution could occur.

Hamisu has not been charged.

Residents who know him insist he committed no crime beyond voicing a grievance that many in Suleja share.“There is no electricity, no functional water pump. He only said what everyone knows,” one community member told reporters.

The suspect’s brother, Haruna Abdullahi, later confirmed that he was released on bail of N50,000 on Tuesday evening after spending five days in detention.

Meanwhile, the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria had on Monday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caution Governor Bago against actions that could impede press freedom in the state.

In a statement jointly signed by its Deputy President, Fidelis Mbah, and Legal Adviser, Tobi Soniyi, the organisation said some actions of the governor and officials under him had infringed on the rights of journalists and media organisations to carry out their duties.