Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Buhari has withdrawn the defamation and slander charges she brought against Aminu Adamu Mohammed, the final year student of the Federal University of Technology, Dutse, Jigawa State who is being detained for making a tweet deemed offensive by Aisha.
According to POLITICS NIGERIA, the prosecution counsel, Fidelis Ogbobe, on Friday said that following the intervention of some well-meaning individuals, the first lady as the mother of the nation decided to drop the charges.
Citing Section 108 subsection 2(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Ogbobe moved for withdrawal of the case.
Image:pmnewsnigeria
Delivering his judgment on the matter, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court, Abuja, praised Mrs. Buhari for taking the “bold steps” to pardon the accused.
The 24-year-old student was arrested and allegedly detained on the orders of Aisha Buhari for a tweet that he made in Hausa in June accusing the First Lady of feeding fat on money meant for the poor.
The tweet read: “Su mama Anchi Kudin Talakawa an Koshi,” meaning, “Mama has fed fat on poor people’s money.”
Pending the hearing of his bail application, Aminu was remanded in Suleja prison, following a remand order given on Tuesday during his arraignment before an Abuja High Court.
Aminu's arrest sparked criticisms on social media against the First Lady and the DSS with many describing his detention as an abuse of power.
Aminu's family members in a BBC interview pleaded with the First Lady to forgive and release their son.
The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, in a statement on Tuesday also apologized to Aisha Buhari for Aminu's action, while noting that leaders and public office-holders should be able to overlook some criticisms to move forward and do what is right.
NANS further cautioned students to be mindful and sensitive to the contents of their social media posts.
Politics and Opinion
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