Amnesty International Nigeria called for Imran Wakili’s immediate and unconditional release on Nov. 3, alleging his detention followed online criticism of images connected to the campaign launch by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna.
Amnesty’s account places the police visit at Wakili’s home in Karu, near Abuja, on Oct. 29. It described the officers as heavily armed and said they sought help from estate security in reaching his apartment. The group says his younger brother and the estate manager were taken into custody while Wakili was away; it did not explain how or when he himself was detained.
Amnesty said its concerns were tied to Wakili’s support for former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and to his social media posts. It also alleged he had been denied contact with relatives and a lawyer, and faced a risk of ill-treatment.
Premium Times quoted Amnesty as calling his detention for exercising freedom of expression “unacceptable” and saying it showed “contempt for the rule of law.”
The State House said the APC held its campaign launch at Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna on Oct. 24, marking the start of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Descriptions of Wakili’s posts differed: Premium Times reported that he suggested rally images were altered to make the crowd appear larger, while Vanguard described his comments as criticism of low turnout.
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism’s 2025 status report, published in July 2026, recorded 245 civic-space incidents in 2025. State actors were involved in 219, including 118 cases involving the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The report covered broader conditions and did not document Wakili’s case. Premium Times also drew a comparison to Farida Isiak, whom the outlet said was detained after criticizing police.
Premium Times reported Nov. 4 that Nigerian authorities had not commented on Wakili’s arrest.
