Demanding the immediate and unconditional release from arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of an undergraduate of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Aminu Adamu, arrested on the orders of the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Rights group:-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) describes the action of the wife of the president as abuse of power and absolutely unconstitutional.
HURIWA is of the opinion that the reeason why insecurity has become overwhelming so much so that the security forces are finding it difficult to defeat terrorists, is because the present government has consistently deployed security assets and manpower to monitor social media gossips and eavesdropping on telephone communications of Niferians.
HURIWA recalled that an undergraduate of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Aminu Adamu, has been languishing in detention after security officials comprising the police and men of the Department of State Service, arrested him over a post on Twitter alleging that the wife of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Aisha, was feeding fat on poor people’s money.
HURIWA quoting media report said that Aminu’s uncle, Shehu Azare, in an interview published by BBC Hausa on Monday, said the victim’s father, Mallam Ádámù, was not aware of his arrest until about five days later.
HURIWA recalled that the uncle said, “His father did not know about his arrest. It was five days later that one of Mallam Ádámù’s friends called and told him that his son had not been seen in school for about five days. That was last Monday. Then a day after, Aminu called his father and told him what was happening, that he was arrested and taken to Aso Rock by the wife of the President, Muhammad Buhari, beaten, scolded and was arrested somewhere. It was a security agent that gave him a phone and told him to tell his parents. Later on, Adamu explained more to me that the school authority called him and told him that it had no knowledge of the incident before, but now they have information on his arrest.”
HURIWA regretted that the arrest of the student occured as he was about to sit for his final exams in school when his whereabouts became unknown to his family, an action the Rights group categorised as absolutely unlawful and criminal.
Reacting to this development and the secretive manner of his arrest which is not different from the modality of kidnappers, HURIWA condemns the action of the Police for secretly arresting the student like kidnappers without the due process of the law being observed as clearly spelt out in the Police Act of 2020.
The police Act of 2020 makes it mandatory on the police officer or any other person authorized to effect an arrest to inform the suspect his rights to: i . Remain silent or avoid answering any question until after consultation with a legal practitioner or any other person of his own choice. See Sec. 35(2)(a). ii. Consult a legal practitioner of his own choice before making, endorsing or writing any statement or answering any question put to him after the arrest. See Sec. 35(2)(b) iii. Free legal representation by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria or other organizations where applicable. See Sec. 35(2)(c).
The Rights group accused the arresting police officers of breaching tje extant police Act which also makes it mandatory on the Police to notify the next of kin or relative(s) of the suspect immediately after the arrest of the suspect. See Sec. 35(3).
HURIWA has therefore asked President Muhammadu Buhari to order the Inspector-General of Police to immediately release the Student kidnapped by them just for expressing his opinion which is protected under Chapter 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. HURIWA accused the Wife of the President of playing god because it is inconceivable that she could order the arrest of someone for spreading something that is not too far from mere beer parlour gossip.