2:15am Raid on Iyan-Tama’s family

Hamisu Lamido Iyan-Tama with his family. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of freeiyantama’s flickr photostream)

UPDATE 27 January 2009: Article in Leadership by Abdulaziz A. Abdulaziz about the attack

(see also on BBC and TopNews.IN)

UPDATE 26 January 2009: Iyan Tama’s appeal postponed again when chief justice says it was “not listed.”

Sitting in an internet cafe, enjoying the non-stop Hausa musical selection (including such banned hits as Maryam A. Baba’s “Rabo Rabo” and Nazifi Asenik’s “Dawo Dawo”) coming from the administrator’s computer, I was writing my advisor an email, when I recieved the following text:

Iyantama’s house was stormed by unknown people who claimed to be sent by some people to terrorise his family. The incidence took place on thursday around 2:15am. The terrorists did not take anything out of the house.

The hearing of the second appeal of Iyantama’s case is scheduled to take place on monday 26/1/09 at court one Audu Bako secretariat kano by 9:30am.”

(from a member of the MOPPAN Exco. [not sure if i should put the name])

(For more background on the censorship crisis in Kano, see this post.)