The United States has granted asylum to Ohimai Amaize, a former Africa Independent Television (AIT) presenter who fled Nigeria in 2019.
In a statement released on Sunday, January 19th, Ohimai revealed that he left the country in June 2019 following a clash between the Federal Government and AIT.
Earlier, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had threatened to revoke DAAR Communications’ license over tweets shown on AIT’s morning show, Kakaaki Social, which Amaize anchored. The NBC then suspended Daar Communications Plc.’s license on June 6, citing failure to abide by the broadcasting code.
Due to threats to his life by security agents, Amaize sought asylum in the US and was later joined by his wife. He expressed his gratitude for the asylum approval, stating his relief from the fear of persecution by the Muhammadu Buhari regime.
“I have just received notice of my asylum approval. My forced exit from Nigeria last year has been a very traumatising experience for me and my family. I am very happy and I thank God for this development. I can now live and carry on with my life without the fear of being persecuted by the Muhammadu Buhari regime for the opinions that I express or the work that I do as a journalist. Of course, I miss Nigeria so much because there is no place like home. I hope that in the not too distant future, Nigeria will return to a true democracy where a free press, freedom of expression and the rule of law are respected.”
Amaize also thanked those who supported him, including AIT, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights First, and his American lawyers, Davis Polk and Wardwell LLP.