A Federal University Dutse undergraduate has been nabbed by the State Security Service over a Twitter post deemed defamatory against the First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari.
In June, Aminu Adamu Muhammed tweeted that Aisha Buhari had suddenly added massive weight after taking part in plundering the nation’s meagre resources as the masses endured hardship under her husband’s brutal regime.
In the June 8, 2022, tweeted: “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi”, which could be translated as “the mother has gotten fatter by eating masses’ money.”
Muhammed’s friends said he made the post because he was frustrated about the prolonged strike by universities across the country which started in early 2022, and ended last month after nine months.
From a near-athletic build when her husband was seeking office in 2015, Mrs. Buhari’s stature has recently ballooned, fueling speculation at a point that she might be ill or pregnant. She denied both claims.
A family source said the 23-year-old student, was picked up by officers on 8 November, on the campus ground of Federal University Dutse, Jigawa.
The student was reportedly subjected to severe beating by the officers following his arrest at about 12:00 noon.
He was later transferred to Abuja and was briefly allowed to contact his father Adamu Shalele Azare about his location, which the family thought was a police station.
Peoples Gazette was later told that the State Security Service was behind Muhammad’s arrest.
Since the 1990s, the secret police has maintained a record of repression and deployment of brutality to enforce regime preservation.
It was not immediately clear if the family has been able to contract a lawyer over the matter.
The incident marked the latest manifestation of assault on fundamental rights that has characterized Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.
Since 2015, thousands of Nigerians have been arrested, jailed or exiled over speeches deemed unflattering towards the government or its allies.
Like her husband, Aisha Buhari has repeatedly targeted journalists for harassment by federal agents.
Still, the administration has continued to downplay its role in deterioration of human rights since 2015, saying most of the attacks were carried out by rogue officers who were not necessarily delegated by the president or his cabinet members and other appointees.