Nassirou Bodo has been remanded in custody at the Niamey central prison following his presentation before the public prosecutor’s office, local sources confirmed Wednesday evening.
Civil society leader Kaka Touda also took to Facebook to confirm the activist’s detention, though he did not disclose the specific charges behind the arrest, which followed a police custody period.
The private daily L’Enquêteur reported Thursday that Bodo faces prosecution under allegations of “disseminating data likely to disrupt public order.”
In an early-week Facebook post, Bodo urged Nigeriens to launch “protests and actions rejecting the state’s social violence against citizens” for a period of “one year, renewable starting June 1.”
Among the alleged acts of violence he cited were “the persistent insecurity in several regions” and ongoing “unjust evictions” of residents near Niamey’s airport—a site targeted in a January 29 attack claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS).
Government officials have defended the demolitions of allegedly “illegally constructed homes” as necessary to “mitigate the terror threat” facing the capital.
The nation continues to grapple with escalating jihadist violence linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Since the military takeover in July 2023, journalists and civil society figures in Niger have faced arrests, detentions, and in some cases convictions on charges including defamation, national security violations, and conspiracy against state authority.
United Nations records indicate 13 journalists were detained in Niger in 2025, with three—including a correspondent for Deutsche Welle—released in early May after months behind bars. Five journalists remain incarcerated, according to local press freedom groups.
Among those still held is civil society icon Moussa Tchangari, imprisoned since December 2024 on accusations of “apology for terrorism and undermining state security.”