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KANO, Nigeria (September 9, 2026) — Popular Kano-based social media commentator and government critic Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu was found killed at his residence in Kano State, Amnesty International Nigeria confirmed Wednesday, in a killing the rights group described as brutal and politically charged.

Dan Shagamu, who ran the platform Dan-Shagamu International, was known for his commentary on political, religious, and community affairs, and had been an outspoken critic of both the state and federal governments. In a statement posted to X, Amnesty International Nigeria said his body was found in a pool of blood at his home, and that he had been “brutally slaughtered after being overpowered by his killers.”

The circumstances of the killing remained unclear as of Wednesday. Unverified reports circulating on social media described the attack as “yankan rago” — a Hausa phrase commonly used to refer to throat-slitting — though this detail has not been officially confirmed.

Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to investigate the killing and hold those responsible to account, tagging the Nigeria Police Force directly in its statement. The organization also linked the killing to a broader pattern it said it has been tracking ahead of Nigeria’s elections. “As the elections approach, we continue to receive disturbing reports of politically related threats to life and intimidation,” the group said.

As of this report, police in Kano had not issued a public statement on the killing or announced any arrests.

Part of a Wider Pattern

Dan Shagamu’s death lands amid mounting documentation of pressure on journalists and government critics under the Tinubu administration. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported in May that at least 91 journalists have been arrested, assaulted, or otherwise targeted since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, spanning at least 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory. CPJ said the figure directly contradicts public claims by Vice President Kashim Shettima that no journalists had faced harassment under the administration, and that the presidency did not respond to a joint letter from CPJ and five Nigerian press freedom groups raising the issue.

Separately, the Media Rights Agenda documented 141 incidents of harassment, detention, and violence against journalists and citizens expressing political views during the administration’s first two years, with the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services together responsible for nearly half of the cases. The group’s report, titled “The Onslaught Intensifies,” pointed to the misuse of the Cybercrimes Act as a recurring tool for prosecuting journalists and online critics.

Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index ranked Nigeria 149th out of 180 countries on journalist safety specifically, noting that crimes against journalists frequently go unpunished even when perpetrators are identified, and that as of April 2026, six journalists remained in detention in the country.

Government officials have repeatedly disputed characterizations of a crackdown. Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare told CPJ in May that the administration had “no record of unresolved infringements on rights of journalists,” while the Minister of Information’s office has maintained that Tinubu remains committed to press freedom, even as it has urged journalists to exercise “restraint” in reporting on security matters.

Rights groups say that gap — between the government’s public position and the documented record of arrests, harassment, and now killings of outspoken commentators — is likely to face renewed scrutiny in the wake of Dan Shagamu’s death.

This is a developing story.