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DSS wrong to arrest man behind Buhari’s fake marriage video, lawyer argues
The Department of State Services (DSS) has been faulted over the arrest of the man behind the fake video of President Muhammadu Buhari’s marriage to two ministers.
A human rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode considered the arrest to be wrong, and described it as a “monumental abuse of public office”.
According to him, the arrest was an indirect affront on the citizens’ freedom to engage government unhindered.
Akinyode said in a statement, “Under the Nigerian jurisprudence, libel or defamation could indeed be criminal. However, the position of the law is that in order to prove criminal libel or criminal defamation, the misdeed of the suspect must be such that is capable of creating widespread public unrest or instigating a threat to national security.”
Kabiru Mohammed, a 32-year-old man was on Friday paraded at the DSS headquarters in Abuja as supposedly the man behind the fake video.
READ: Buhari must ensure Nigeria remains united before leaving office, says ex-Kogi governor
During the parade of the suspect, the DSS Public Relations Officer (PRO), Peter Afunaya said the Mohammed was arrested in connection with the fake video which went viral on social media between August and October 2019.
The video showed President Buhari marriage ceremony with two female ministers in his government, Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance and Sadiya Faruk, the Disaster Management and Social Development minister.
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