Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari has withdrawn the case against a final-year student of the Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Adamu over alleged defamatory tweet that was deemed defamatory.

Recall that Aminu, 23, was arrested by the police in Dutse, Jigawa State for using his Twitter handle to criticise the wife of the President on June 8, 2022.

In the alleged tweet, Adamu, Environmental Management student posted a photograph of the First lady with a caption in Hausa saying, “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money”, deemed defamatory.

He was thereafter remanded at the Suleja Correctional facility in Niger State by an FCT High Court in Abuja last Wednesday.

But the decision of First Lady which was conveyed by Fidelis Ogbobe, the Prosecution Counsel on Friday, arose from the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians, ahead of the peaceful protest declared by the Nigerian students next week.

He said the First Lady as the mother of the nation decided to withdraw it in line with Section 108 subsection 2(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to move the application for the withdrawal of the case.

But Aisha Buhari was one of the witnesses billed to testify against the accused.

TheNewspad recalls that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has demanded for the unconditional release of Aminu.

SERAP in a statement on Thursday, threatened to sue Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu if the student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, is not released, clarifying that “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right” of citizens.

“The human Rights watchdog statement partly read, “The Buhari administration must immediately and unconditionally release Aminu Adamu Muhammad, a student of the Federal University, Dutse who is reportedly arrested over a post on Twitter allegedly criticizing the first lady.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right.

“We’ll see in court if he’s not immediately released.

The viral tweet which was posted in Hausa in June 2022, reads: “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi: “The mother has got fatter by eating masses’ money”.

His tweet was accompanied by a photo of Aisha, loosely translates as “Mama has eaten poor people’s money and is now full”.

Also, C.K. Agu, Muhammad’s lawyer, said the order for his remand was given on Tuesday when he was arraigned before a high court in the federal capital territory (FCT), according to BBC Hausa.

Ealier, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), had in a statement endorsed by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, had asked the Department of State Services and the police to release Muhammed immediately.

The group said the first lady does not have the right to order the arrest and torture of her critics.

It called on President Buhari to order the arrest of all officers involved in Muhammed’s arrest and torture.

“The government and security agencies must release the boy from illegal detention so that he can join his colleagues to continue his examination.

“The CUPP is offering free legal support to the detained student to enforce his fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and freedom of movement and fight his illegal detention”.

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