Nouhou Arzika, a civil society activist and the president of Mouvement Populaire pour une Citoyenneté Responsible (MPCR- Popular Movement for Responsible Citizenship), was arrested in Niger on May 24, 2015.
The MFWA’s correspondent in Niger reported that Arzika was arrested at about 8pm and detained at the Criminal Investigation Department for allegedly breaching national security.
According to the correspondent, it is believed that Arzika’s arrest and detention is as a result of an interview he granted to the privately-owned television station, Liptako.
In the said interview, Arzika reportedly condemned the “poor conditions” of Nigerien soldiers in the combat zones of the Diffa region (in the east of Chad and Nigeria) against Islamic militant group, Boko Haram.