In the first place, there is no legal basis to arrest these journalists hence the police are just over-exercising powers they do not have.

Next, to go further to charge them with bogus offences and then detain raises the question as to what is the IGP trying to prove anyway? What is the purpose of the detention of Musa Sheriff when you already charged him?

This IGP just like those before him are not helping the country at all, much more the Government. They only bring bad name to the country as one of those ‘funny but not funny’ African nations where a mere mention of a president’s name in a certain manner can put you in trouble.

These kinds of police actions ridicule our countries and validates those unfair and unpleasant views which hold that Africans are unfit to rule themselves. No wonder people like Donald Trump would have the audacity to call Africa a “shithole”, while others refer to our countries as banana republics.

After alll, what they see is widespread poverty, uncontrolled corruption, military coups, civil wars, and poor basic services while youths die in the high seas with government officials driving multimillion dollar SUVs in dirty communities with muddy lakes and craters of potholes on streets as corruption and abuse of power become the order of the day.

These detentions and charges only serve to confirm such negative and unfair view of Africa which we will find it hard to dispute and defend Africa. Sadly.

By Madi Jorbateh