The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has withdrawn the case against the final year student of the Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Mohammed, following pressure and condemnation by activists, Amnesty International, the National Association of Nigerian Students, and other citizens.
Reports have it that the prosecution counsel Fidelis Ogbobe, withdrawing the case on behalf of Mrs Buhari, said the First Lady, being the mother of the nation, decided to withdraw the case, following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court commended Mrs Buhari for withdrawing the case.
Halilu, while issuing the release warrant, called on parents to always monitor their children to avoid recurrence
According to a police report, Mr Muhammed was arrested at Federal University Dutse on November 18, 2022, after Mrs Buhari instructed a team of police detectives to track him down.
Reacting to this, the Director of Amnesty International, Nigeria, Osai Ojigho said, that It is beyond disgraceful that the Nigerian authorities have arrested and allegedly tortured Aminu Adamu Muhammed after he merely Tweeted about the First Lady of Nigeria.
Ojigho added, that the heavy-handed mistreatment of Aminu is a clear attempt to strike fear into the hearts of young Nigerians who use social media to hold the powerful to account.
He noted that Amnesty International is concerned by the growing number of attacks on freedom of expression in Nigeria as the authorities are increasingly using unlawful arrests and ill-treatment to stifle those who criticize the state.
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