‘Sue Aisha Buhari,’ Lawyers Urge Student Allegedly Brutalized By First Lady

Human rights lawyers on Tuesday advised Aminu Adamu, a student of the Federal University Dutse, in Jigawa State, to seek redress in court against his alleged brutalization and detention by agents of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Aminu Adamu was said to have floated a photo of Aisha Buhari on his Twitter handle with the caption “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money.”(English translation of the original tweet in Hausa language)

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There are also reports trending online about an alleged brutalization of a former social media aide to the First Lady by security agents.

Recall that the Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State where Aminu is undergoing studies has already reacted to the development in a statement, urging his parents to “engage the services of a lawyer to handle the matter.”

Lawyers who spoke to THE WHISTLER also urged the victim to sue the First Lady.

Speaking on the issue, public interest lawyer, Frank Tietie Esq, told our correspondent that any victim of abuse of power must seek redress in the law court by demanding a public apology and compensation for general damages bordering on degrading treatment on account of their exercise of freedom of expression.

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“Nobody should be punished or degraded for expressing opinions against public officials like the First Lady.

“When they go to court, they should file an application based on the Fundamental Right Procedure Rules, asking to be released from detention,” he said.

Tietie maintained that public officials don’t enjoy any form of protection from the opinion of the Nigerian people.

For Barrister Marshal Abubakar of the Falana & Falana Chambers, he told THE WHISTLER that the arrest, brutalization, and detention of the student are condemnable, reprehensible, and cannot be condoned.

He said everyone must see such development as a contravention of the relevant laws on human rights and must insist on their rights via legal means.

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“It is an egregious assault on our constitution, particularly chapter 4, Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution that lucidly condemns such actions against the Nigerian citizenry. The actions of the Nigerian first lady and those knee-jerk security agents are against the dictates of the African Charter on Human & Peoples Rights, the UN Charter on Human rights, and other apposite international treaties to which the country is a willing signatory,” he said.

He said in line with rule of law and admonition by courts of record, any persons who feel defamed should exercise the appropriate option of approaching the courts for an action founded on the grounds of defamation.

“We reiterate that the unholy attempt at clogging the media space and eroding free speech would be met with stiff resistance. Persons who occupy political offices must be more receptive of public scrutiny and censor of their lives, otherwise, they have no business occupying public offices in the first place. We are mandating those power drunk security agents to release Citizen Aminu Adamu forthwith.” He added.

In addition, Maxwell Opara Esq said victims of harassment should quickly engage the services of a human rights lawyer.

Meanwhile, the Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has vowed to go to court if Adamu is not released from wherever he is kept.

“The Buhari administration must immediately and unconditionally release Aminu Muhammad, a student of the Federal University, Dutse who is reportedly arrested over a post on Twitter allegedly criticizing the first lady. We’ll see in court if he’s not immediately released,” SERAP tweeted.

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