A Christian journalist in Nigeria’s Kaduna State was returned to jail in July, following a bail hearing in which a judge set bail terms so stringent that they have been described as ‘nearly impossible’.
On 12 July, Justice Bashir Sukola remanded Mr Binniyat in custody for writing a story about an attack by armed Fulani herdsmen in southern Kaduna that later proved incorrect. Mr Binniyat’s case highlights an erosion of press freedom and the inequality before the law of different religious communities in Kaduna State.
$32,000 bail
During a second hearing on 20 July, Justice Sukola granted bail on condition that two guarantors post bonds of 10 million naira each (approximately US$32,000), which they must be prepared to renew every six months, and that they surrender their international passports for as long as the case lasts. The case was adjourned until 31 August, and Mr Binniyat, who is on crutches and medication following a domestic accident, was returned to Kaduna Convict Prison pending the posting of bail.
