Nigeria, July 9 -- A chief magistrates' court in Katsina on Wednesday remanded a university lecturer, Bashir Kurfi, in police custody for alleged defamation and injurious falsehood against the state government.

The charge arose from Mr Kurfi's claims that the Katsina State Government sponsored some bandit leaders to the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.

Mr Kurfi, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him before Chief Magistrate Zaharaddeen Soro.

According to the First Information Report presented before the court, the defendant allegedly made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV on 24 June.

The prosecution argued that the comments falsely accused the state government of sponsoring ba...