An opposition party in Nigeria has slammed the sacking of an employee of the Bauchi state government for a comment he made on Facebook.
Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Congress for Progressive Party’s (CPC) Bauchi Governor candidate in April 2011, expressed shock over the reaction of the state government to an ordinary Facebook comment by Abbas Ahmed Faggo.
“I received with utter astonishment the news that a civil servant in the employment of the Bauchi State government, one Abbas Faggo, was fired for allegedly posting statements that were described as injurious and false against Governor Isa Yuguda on his Facebook page,” Tuggar said.
He said the government’s actions were unnecessary because the accused had already been cleared by a Bauchi State Chief Magistrate on Friday, November 16.
Despite his victory at the court of justice, the government still went ahead with what Tuggar described as “a rather spiteful action” of firing the vindicated and acquitted law abiding citizen who exercised his fundamental right of freedom of expression on the social network website.
The CPC chief added the Government erred in its handling of the matter and has brought the state under the full glare of human right organisations who are already complaining about the spate of disregard of human rights in Nigeria.
He then recommended the immediate reinstatement of the sacked official.
“Considering that the inalienable right of freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed and enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as one of the fundamental human rights of Nigerian citizens, it is imperative that the Bauchi State government reinstates Abbas Faggo,” the politician added.
