Embattled Female Reporter In Trouble As Katsina Media Outfit Disowns Her 

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – Amid claims and counterclaims by the Katsina-based female ‘Reporter’, Ruqayya Aliyu Jibia and the State Police Command, a media outfit, AMASIS Broadcasting Services Ltd, has distanced itself from the embattled Ms Aliyu.

According to AMASIS, who are owners of Tambarin Hausa Television, Ruqayya is neither a reporter nor a correspondent of the TV in the Katsina State.

The Company’s management, in a letter dated May 25, 2023 and addressed to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Katsina State Council, said; “The attention of AMASIS Broadcasting Limited, owners of Tambarin Hausa Television, has been drawn to a video that is in circulation on social media concerning a lady called Miss Rukayya Aliyu Jibia, claiming to be a staff and correspondent of Tambarin Hausa Television in Katsina State.

“She (Rukayya Aliyu Jibia) engages in a video that went viral on social media platforms accusing the Nigerian Police Force and Katsina Emirate Council of master-minding her arrest and subsequently authorizing her detention in Prison.

“The management of Tambarin Hausa Television after a thorough investigation of the video, reached the conclusion that the station disassociates itself from the video where she claimed to be a reporter of the station, in Katsina State.”

The letter, which was also copied to the NUJ Correspondent Chapel, media houses, the police, and the DSS, further said; “In view of the above, AMASIS Broadcasting Limited, owners of Tambarin Hausa Television states categorically that Rukayya Aliyu Jibia is not a staff and correspondent of Tambarin Hausa Television in Katsina State.

“To that effect, any media organization, security agency, individual, and corporate organization that engages her in whatever dealing is doing so at its own risk”.

But as the ugly development continues to gain traction, especially on social media platforms, opinions are divided on the Police’s alleged manhandling of Ms Aliyu with calls for a thorough investigation to ensure justice for her

This is because some commentators are accusing Rukayya, currently in hiding due to the alleged threat to her life, of seeking cheap popularity to the detriment of public peace in the State.

One of her colleagues, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he witnessed the incident as it unfolded, claiming that Rukayya’s open protest against the State Police command over its parade of four teenagers is what has now courted trouble for her.

Further explaining what he described as “a strained relationship between Rukayya and the PPRO in Katsina State, Isa Gambo”, the colleague accused the Police Spokesperson of barring journalists from asking questions while parading the suspects.

Offering more insight, the source said; “Recently the Command paraded some four teenage Awara sellers, whom the police accused of prostitution, which did not go down well with Rukayya. She openly advocated against the action, which she said would lead to stigmatization.

“She also said that these teenagers may be ridiculed in society. She went to the teenagers to interview them, but she was reported to Isa Gambo. Thereafter, the PPRO reported her to the Emir of Katsina, not to the police. He told the Emir that there was a journalist who was putting them in a bad light.

“Regrettably, Rukayya was never given a fair hearing in the Emir palace, and this encounter, as well as other development, led to the alarm raised over the perceived threat to her life by the Police”.