Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged Niger authorities on Monday to immediately release Niger journalist Samira Sabou. Niger news outlet Air info confirmed with Sabou’s relatives that Niger authorities arrested Sabou at her home on September 30 for an unknown reason.

Abdoul Kader Nouhou, Sabou’s husband, told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that four unidentified men placed a hood over Sabou’s head, took Sabou to an unmarked vehicle and took her phone from her home before driving Sabou away. Nouhou said he was unaware of where the four men took Sabou to and that the judicial police of Niamey, Niger denied that they arrested Sabou.

On Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote:

The Nigerien authorities must urgently identify the men who arrested journalist Samira Sabou on September 30 and ensure her immediate release and safety … This arrest deepens [the Committee to Protect Journalists’] concerns about the working environment of Nigerien journalists and their ability to inform the Nigerien public without fear of reprisal.

RSF also wrote that Sabou’s family has not received any news about her since she was arrested. The organization called upon Niger authorities to disclose her whereabouts, permit her lawyer to see her and release her from custody.

The Niamey High Court previously sentenced Sabou in January 2022 to a one-month suspended jail term and a fine on defamation charges for reporting on issues associated with drug trafficking in Niger. She was also imprisoned in June 2020 on cybercrime charges because she posted about an audit of Niger’s military on Facebook.

Niger is currently ruled by military junta National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which seized power in a military coup that overthrew former President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. The international community has widely condemned the coup and the junta’s rule, with the African Union suspending Niger’s participation and ECOWAS imposing sanctions against the coup leaders.