Al Jazeera Drags Nigerian Army To Court Over Detained Journalists

Legal action has been taken to declare the Nigerian military's
detention of two Al Jazeera journalists as illegal and
unconstitutional.
The Motion on Notice filed today in Abuja high court seeks
the enforcement of Ahmed Idris and Ali Mustafa's
fundamental rights to personal liberty and human dignity
under the Nigerian constitution.
It also seeks a court order for their immediate release from
the illegal military custody that began on 24 March 2015.
The move comes as concern for the pair grew after they were
denied access to their phones and contact with the outside
world. Al Jazeera said it was extremely concerned about the
situation and was seeking guarantees regarding the safety
and wellbeing of their journalists.
It is hoped that the legal action will help bring an end to the
impasse where Idris and Mustafa have been held by military
forces in Maiduguri for no apparent reason for the last ten
days.
Salah Negm, director of news for Al Jazeera English, said, "We
want the military to bring this situation to a close, and call
on all parties involved in this capture of our journalists to
end this now. Nobody appears to be taking responsibility for
this grave action and we hope this legal action will help to cut
through the haze."
The detention has been condemned by the Committee to
Protect Journalists, the National Press Club, and the Nigeria
Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of organisations
working in support of credible and transparent elections.
Al Jazeera English is one of the most-watched news channels
in Nigeria, with millions of viewers every day.
Idris is an experienced journalist who has over thirty years of
broadcasting experience. He started working for the
Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 1983.
In 2006 Idris joined the BBC in Abuja and in 2007 until 2010
he was the Bureau Editor. Since 2010 Idris has served as a
producer/reporter for Al Jazeera. In 2014 he was the first
international journalist to reach Chibok and interview
families affected by the mass kidnap of schoolgirls by Boko
Haram.
Mustafa has been a cameraman with Al Jazeera since 2011.
He graduated from the National Film Institute, Jos, Plateau
State in 2000 as an Independent Film Maker, majoring in
scripting producing and directing.