Yesufu and CSOs accuse Aisha of power abuse, violation of human rights
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have joined rights activist Aisha Yesufu in knocking Aisha Buhari for ordering the arrest and detention of Aminu Muhammed Adamu who criticised her on Twitter.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) says the incident once again highlights the rot in the system.
Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) condemns it as human rights violation and demands the immediate release of Aminu.
Aminu, 23, is a final year student in the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University Dutse (FUD).
“Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi” he tweeted in Hausa in June. Loosely translated as “the mother has gotten fatter by eating masses’ money.” He did not mention Aisha by name but attached her picture.
Aminu tweeted to express displeasure over the prolonged strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because of the failure of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to honour agreement with the lecturers.
He was arrested at about 12 noon on campus by Department of State Services (DSS) officers on 8 November and beaten up, per The PUNCH.
Yesufu on Sunday described on her YouTube channel as unconstitutional and outrageous the detention of Aminu, which coincided with a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that Buhari has kept 133 million Nigerians in poverty.
“Aisha Buhari should be ashamed of herself. This is so unlawful. Her husband has thrown 63 per cent of Nigerians into multidimensional poverty,” said Yesufu, #BringBackOurGirls Co-convener.
“Haven’t they grown fat over the sweat of Nigerians? They have been thrown into multidimensional wealth. Who is she to arrest people for telling her to have eaten the riches of the poor?
“If she is this powerful, why wouldn’t she use her power to rescue Nigerians in captivity?”
“A number of girls [have been] taken away from Federal Government College, Yawuri over a year now. You throw people into poverty. Nigerians aren’t secure. Yet you use your little nonsensical power to arrest somebody.
“You should have told your husband not to be contesting. You voted for the abysmal failure that’s Nigerian President and yet you’re saying people shouldn’t talk.
“You oppress people because you have the power. But I don’t blame [you], I blame Nigerians.”
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Arrests shows deep rot in the system, says HURIWA
HURIWA Executive Director Emmanuel Onwubiko said Aminu’s arrest shows the level of rot in the security system.
“It is a very sad development,” he lamented, according to The PUNCH.
“Whether it was the DSS or police that arrested the guy, it shows that the government has continued to deploy security assets to chase after gossip.
“They go to websites and social media in search of those gossiping about the President, his wife and his children, to arrest them.”
RULAAC demands Aminu’s immediate release
RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma also argued the arrest violated the rights of Aminu.
His words: “RULAAC is following developments around the arrest and incommunicado detention of Aminu, for posting on Twitter that Mrs [Aisha] Buhari had suddenly added weight after taking part in plundering the nation’s meagre resources as the masses endured hardship under her husband’s regime.
“RULAAC condemns the arrest and incommunicado detention of the citizen as being in violation of his democratic right to freedom of expression.
“If, however, the government believes that it has credible evidence against him to warrant his arrest, he should not be detained illegally.
“He should have been charged to court before now. This is yet another evidence of an attack on civic freedom and the shrinking civic space.
“We call for his immediate release and remedies as prescribed by law for violations of civil liberties.”