Women groups demand release of student detained by DSS for trolling Aisha Buhari on social media

A coalition of women’s groups known as “Feminist Womanifesto” on Friday condemned the detention of a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Adamu, for allegedly trolling the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari.

Adamu was arrested last month over a post he shared on Twitter on June 9.

He was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Tuesday.

The Feminist Womanifesto is a group of 250 women’s organizations under its umbrella.

In a petition dated December 1, 2022, addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and signed by its convener, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the coalition demanded the immediate release of the student and investigation of the incident.

It described the arrest, assault and continued detention of the student as totally unacceptable.

The petition read: “We call for their immediate and unconditional release. Various news outlets have suggested that the arrest of Aminu Muhammed and Zainab 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.

Read also:Police secretly arraigns student for trolling Aisha Buhari on social media

“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 the 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 a 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 an 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 an investigation in this regard to ensure that the law takes its cause and that both Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim are released or taken before a court of competent jurisdiction. Nigerians are watching! We call on you to do the needful.”

By Abdulkabeer Ambali

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