TheCable

Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have access to Boko Haram leadership, has warned against the consequences of “a cocktail of lies and hearsay” in the fight against insurgency in the north-east. 

Writing on his Facebook page on Friday, he said one key challenge in the fight against insurgency in the north-east is lack of accurate information.

He also said apart from the challenge of dealing with fake news, there is a “cocktail of hearsay and lies” in the war which is gaining official traction.

Salkida said any attempt by anyone to report the Boko Haram war exclusively or independently is usually met with “official and unofficial ridicule”.

“In Nigeria, the trouble is beyond fake news, it is a cocktail of hearsay and lies that is gaining official traction and if nothing is done fast, we may risk throwing the infant with the bath water, and the consequence will be catastrophic for the ordinary population,” he wrote.

“How does preventing transparency and independent reporting advance national security? It only fuels the kind of rumours that we see today in Maiduguri and elsewhere.

“The international community and well meaning citizens that looked the other way when press freedom was at risk (and still remains at risk) in the region should realise that this is a pricey mistake. For me, long ago, I have understood that the values of journalism are at a grave cross with the kind of security mindset we have in Nigeria.”

WHO IS SALKIDA?

• He is the only known Nigerian that has access to information about the Boko Haram sect. In fact, he is the only journalist to have interviewed Mohammed Yusuf and Abubakar Shekua, Boko Haram leaders.
• In 2016, the Nigerian army declared him wanted owing to his reported links with Boko Haram.
• But Salkida has at several times denied being a member of the sect.

TheCable had reported how Salkida got to have links with the sect’s leadership and other details about him. You can read the report here.