More knocks came the way of First Lady, Aisha Buhari, as over 250 women organisations in Nigeria, under the aegis of ‘Feminist Womanifesto’ condemned the arrest and continuous detention of her critics, describing the action as “unacceptable in a civilian regime.”
Two such victims have been identified as currently being held by government agencies because they criticized the First Lady. They are a 23-year-old final-year student of the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Dutse, Aminu Muhammed, and a former social media aide to the First Lady, Zainab Kassim.
Muhammed was said to have been arrested and beaten by security officers on November 8, 2022, for a tweet that allegedly mocked Aisha Buhari. His friends and family members have not been able to gain access to him since then. Zainab Kassim, the former social media, was said to have also been beaten and arrested before being allegedly incarcerated.
The Convener of Womanifesto, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, expressed these views in a petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), dated December 1, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday.
The groups demanded the immediate release of the victims and an investigation of their assault.
Titled, “Petition by women groups demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim,” the groups wrote, “We call for their immediate and unconditional release. Various news outlets have suggested that the arrest of Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim was in obedience to orders from Mrs Aisha Buhari and that the student was beaten in her presence.
“We are concerned that despite the call from Nigerians nothing has been said by the office of the First Lady or the government in this regard to counter the narrative. The development is unacceptable in a civilian regime. The rule of law is expected to be prioritized in all arrests. Furthermore, in this period marking 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, no leader, and certainly not a female leader should be associated with such abuses of power. No one should be above the law.
“We believe that the actions constitute a gross violation of the human right to personal liberty, freedom of speech and right to seek legal counsel. These actions also infringe on Section 35, Chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that an arrested person must be brought before a competent court of law within a reasonable time of 48 hours. It has been over 21 days since their arrest.
“We are worried about the continued detention of these citizens and its implications on the country’s human rights reputation.
“We are compelled to write to your esteemed office to demand an immediate investigation of the arrest, detention and assault of Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim.
“We call your attention to the constitution which states (in) Section 35 (6) states: Any person who is unlawfully arrested or detained shall be entitled to compensation and public apology from the appropriate authority or person; and in this subsection, ‘the appropriate authority or person’ means an authority or person specified by law.”
The groups urged the First Lady or anyone from her office to speak in respect of the development as Nigerians are watching and would want to know the truth. They also urged the AGF to cause a thorough investigation to be conducted on the subject matter.
“We also demand the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria to respond to the allegation for the sake of public good and accountability. We hope you will use your good office to cause an investigation in this regard to ensure that the law takes its cause and that both Aminu Muhammed and Zainab Kassim are released or taken before a court of competent jurisdiction. Nigerians are watching! We call on you to do the needful.”