First Lady, Aisha Buhari’s critic, Aminu Mohammed Adamu, a student of the Federal University, Dutse, has been released unconditionall after police authorities dropped the charges against him.
Aminu who was arrested for trolling First Lady Aisha Buhari on Twitter, was secretly arraigned in court, and remanded in the Suleja correctional facility in Niger State.
A guardian, Kabiru Shehu who confirmed this while speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP Weekend last night, said Aminu, at the time of filing this report, was in Aso Villa and waiting to see President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, “Aminu has been released. He is currently in Aso Villa and waiting to see President Muhammadu Buhari. We are happy about this development and we can’t wait to reunite with him.”
Shehu, however, disclosed that Aminu is a respectful and peaceful person, adding that he is not a stubborn person.
“He has a gentle personality. He is not a stubborn man. He makes fun with anything that comes his way. He doesn’t insult people,” he said.
Police Withdraws Case Against Student Over Offensive Tweet Against Aisha Buhari
The First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, is reported to have withdrawn her case against Aminu Adamu. The student was remanded in Suleja prison in Niger State, after he was charged to court by the police, according to his lawyer, C.K Agu.
The lawyer Mr Agu confirmed to BBC Hausa late evening that the wife of the President has withdrawn the case against the student.
Mr Adamu, a final year student, tweeted a photo of Mrs Buhari with a caption in Hausa which translates to: “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money.”
The tweet was posted on 9th June but Mr Adamu was arrested earlier this month when the tweet went viral.
Earlier in the week, Justice Yusuf Halilu of a High Court of Justice of the FCT ordered the remand of Aminu Muhammad.
Muhammad, who hails from Azare in Bauchi state, is a final-year student at the department of environmental management.
He was arrested by the police over a tweet that appeared to mock Aisha.
NANS, Friends Lose Contact With Aminullah
Before his released, friends and colleagues were in panic mode over his condition at Suleja Prtison because they had also lost all contact with members of his family.
The national treasurer of National Association Nigerian Students in the Northwest zone said friends and executive members of the association lost contact with Alamin Adamu and his family after he was remanded in prison.
Comrade Basir Suleiman Limanci said yesterday that the union had been following the case since his arrest but they had now lost contact with him and even his parents’ phones were longer reachable.
“We are worried about where Aminu is, his health condition, safety and academic career are sources of concern to our union members.
“The presidency and police have failed to tell us and the rest of the world what is actually going on with Aminullah. However, we stand by our declaration that if they do not release him, NANS will have no option than to embark on a nationwide demonstration by 5th December 2022,” Limanci said.
NCoS gives update on conditions in Suleja Prison
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) yesterday said that contrary to concerns raised by Nigerians about the safety of Aminu, who was remanded at the Suleja Prison facility over his alleged social media post on the person of the first lady, Aisha Buhari, the offender was never in danger.
Speaking through its national spokesperson, Umar Danlami Abubakar in a telephone conversation with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, the authorities said, “Well, just like every other inmate or offender in our custody, Aminu is going about his activities normally.
“There is no cause for any alarm and in fact, there is absolutely no issue with regards to his detention. The place is quite, calm and there is no reason for anyone to be in panic.”
The NCoS spokeman said, “I urge you to ignore whatever rumour you are hearing as there is no iota of truth them and should therefore be discountenanced.
“I am responding to this enquiry because I deem this update as a very important one as I believe that it will also help calm the nerves of all those that are worried about his wellbeing.
Asked how long he is going to stay in their facility before his next arraignment date, he said, ‘You know the nature of our job. You are given an offender to remand and your duty is restricted to just ensuring that that inmate is safe. Besides, I don’t have the warrant and so will not been able to speak on that
Recall that some civil society groups and concerned Nigerians had raised concerns over Aminu’s safety, claiming that the Suleja Prison facility is denying his family members and friends have access to him. They have continued to express worry over the reason behind the action of the Prison facility, stressing that Aminu’s life could be in grave danger.
250 women groups write Malami, says Aisha Buhari abusing power
About 250 women groups from across the country under the aegis of Feminist Womanifesto have demanded the immediate and unconditional release of a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Aminu Mohammed from detention.
The women also demanded the release of Zainab Kassim, a former social media aide to the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari.
Mohammed, a 500-level student of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, had been charged to court and remanded at Suleja Correctional centre, Niger State, for tweeting that the first lady was feeding fat on the poor people’s money
The groups, in a letter to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, dated December 1, 2022 described the action of the first lady as a gross violation of human right to personal liberty, freedom of speech and right to seek legal counsel, adding that no female leader should be associated with such abuses of power.
The letter signed by Convener of the groups, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi and made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday reads in part: “Various news outlets have suggested that the arrest of Muhammed and Kassim was in obedience to orders from Mrs Aisha Buhari and that the student was beaten in her presence.
“We are concerned that despite the call from Nigerians nothing has been said by the office of the First Lady or the government in this regard to counter the narrative.
“The development is unacceptable in a civilian regime; the rule of law is expected to be prioritized in all arrests. Furthermore, in this period marking 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, no leader, and certainly not a female leader should be associated with such abuses of power. No one should be above the law.
“We believe that the actions constitute a gross violation of human right to personal liberty, freedom of speech and right to seek legal counsel.
“These actions also infringe on Section 35, Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that an arrested person must be brought before a competent court of law within reasonable time of 48 hours. It has been over 21 days since their arrest.
“We are worried about the continued detention of these citizens and its implications on the country’s human rights reputation. We are compelled to write to your esteemed office to demand immediate investigation of the arrest, detention and assault of Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim.
“We call your attention to the constitution which states Section 35 (6) states; Any person who is unlawfully arrested or detained shall be entitled to compensation and public apology from the appropriate authority or person; and in this subsection, ‘the appropriate authority or person’ means an authority or person specified by law.
“We also demand the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria to respond to the allegation for the sake of public good and accountability.
“We hope you will use your good office to cause and investigation in this regard to ensure that the law takes its cause and both Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim are released or taking before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Nigerians are watching! We call on you to do the needful”
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