Parents of a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Muhammad Aminu, who was arrested for allegedly tweeting that the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Buhari, was feeding fat on poor people’s money, have begged the first lady to release their son.
The uncle of the arrested student, Shehu Baba, in an interview with BBC Hausa on Monday, said the family got to know about the arrest through the victim’s friend.
Baba noted that Aminu was arrested on November 17, 2022 and allegedly tortured in the presence of the first lady.
He said: “Father did not know of the arrest. The following morning on Monday, Aminu called his father through a security agent’s phone and informed him that he was being held in Abuja by security agents. He said he was taken to the State House, reprimanded and beaten in the presence of the wife of the president, before he was taken to an unknown location and locked.
“The father later informed me that the Federal University Dutse management called to inform him that they were not aware of the arrest.
“We are disturbed. There are instances of such arrests that are still unresolved. We’re pleading with her to forgive our son because she is a mother too. Let her forgive and forget. We’re pleading with her.”
Aminu’s arrest had been condemned by Nigerians who described the decision of the first lady as grossly unconstitutional.
Several organizations, including Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Amnesty International, had demanded the unconditional release of the victim.
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