The Integrity Youth Alliance has dismissed as false and malicious a statement credited to Sani Ahmed, popularly known as Zangina, editor of the Rariya Hausa online newspaper, in which he accused the Nigeria Police Force of harassing activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its spokesperson, Danjuma Lamido, the group described Ahmed’s claims as a “baseless narration,” insisting that the Nigeria Police Force, under the leadership of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, is a professional institution with no interest in intimidating Sowore or any other Nigerian citizen.
“The claim that Sowore is being harassed is laughable. Sowore is too insignificant to be intimidated by an institution as professional as the Nigeria Police. Any matter concerning him is strictly for the courts to decide, not for self-appointed media judges,” the statement read in part.
The group further criticized Ahmed for attempting to project Sowore as a champion of the masses, arguing that his record shows a greater interest in personal and political ambitions than in the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
In a sharp rebuttal, the Integrity Youth Alliance also accused Ahmed of hypocrisy, alleging that his own brothers are linked to terrorist activities responsible for killings and kidnappings in Northern Nigeria. “If Zangina wishes to be taken seriously, he should call on his brothers to stop terrorizing innocent Northerners instead of fabricating lies against the Police,” the statement added.
The Alliance emphasized that Ahmed has no legal authority to declare Sowore innocent, noting that only the courts can make such pronouncements based on evidence. It further stated that it would not be intimidated by what it described as “propaganda and falsehoods.”
