By Gbenga Oloniniran


The National Association of Nigerian Students has apologised to Aisha Buhari, wife of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over the arrest of a student of the Federal University, Dutse Jigawa, Aminu Mohammed, by the Nigeria Police.

Condemnations had trailed the reported arrest of Mohammed over a tweet on the First Lady. Notable Nigerians including social activist, Aisha Yesufu, knocked Aisha for allegedly using her power against the student.

While initial reports were that Mohammed was arrested by the Department of State Services, NANS revealed that he was rather arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, who traced Mohammed to Jigawa where he was picked up.

NANS in a statement on Tuesday by its President, Usman Barambu, apologised on behalf of the Nigerian students to the First Lady, while also calling for Mohammed’s release.

“The leadership of NANS received with concern the news of the unlawful arrest of Mohammed by the Nigeria Police on the instruction of Aisha Buhari. Upon receiving the news, I, Mohammed’s family and friends swung into action to trace the whereabouts of Mohammed. After some days of searching, we got the information that he was at the police unit in Wuse Zone 2. I met with Mohammed at the police custody.

“It was alleged that Mohammed some weeks back posted Aisha Buhari’s picture on Twitter with the caption “Su mama anchi kudin talakawa an koshi” (translated from Hausa to ‘the mother has gotten fatter by eating masses’ money’).

“Just like the normal way angry citizens have different ways of expression on the social media. On November 18, 2022, the police from Abuja tracked Mohammed to the Federal University Dutse and picked him without any written/verbal invitation or informing the school management or his family,” Barambu narrated.

The NANS President said Mohammed was taken straight to the Presidential Villa where he was allegedly brutalised, beaten, maltreated and humiliated by the police “on the orders of Aisha Buhari, after which he was unlawfully detained at a police facility at Wuse Zone II till date. I, alongside our team of lawyers, met with Mohammed at the police facility where he confirmed the incident to me. Until now, Mohammed has not been arraigned by any competent court of law or granted bail by the police.”

“We want to, on behalf of all the Nigerian students, tender our unreserved apology to the First Lady Aisha Buhari, for the action of Mohammed which might have caused her and her family pains. However, as leaders and public office holders, we must overlook some criticisms if we want to really forge ahead and do the right thing,” Barambu said.

“We demand a detailed explanation by the Nigeria Police on why they will go to the school premises and ‘kidnap’ a student without due process and took him straight to the Presidential Villa where he was brutalised which violates his fundamental human rights,” the statement said.

NANS said Mohammed had sustained various injuries and had not accessed any proper medical attention. “We call on the police as a matter of national interest and urgency to release Mohammed unconditionally or be prepared to face the Nigerian students.

“However, we are calling on our teeming students to be careful and apply decorum in dealing with people especially our leaders. They should be mindful of what they post on social media.

“We want to inform the general public to be patient as we await response and actions from the Inspector General of Police on a letter earlier sent to his office,” the president added.

Disagreeing with the national body, the South-West zone of NANS, in another statement by its Public Relations Officer, Giwa Temitope, condemned the alleged action of the First Lady, saying Mohammed’s rights were grossly violated.

“The conduct of Aisha and the security officers involved in the brutality meted out to Mohammed is highly condemnable and shows that Aisha does not tolerate dissent. In a democratic dispensation, one would have expected the wife of the President to have instituted a case against the student (if at all there is any) rather than resort to violence.

“In so far it has been established that the student was ‘abducted’ by the police and then ferried to the Presidential Villa where he was tortured on the order of Aisha and then locked up at a police facility at Wuse II, the wife of the President and everyone involved have erred and violated his (Mohammed’s) right to dignity of human persons as guaranteed under Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“Our position as an association is that the wife of the President has exhibited conduct against the provisions of the Nigerian law which has therefore invalidated whatever case they might have against him,” Temitope said.

Tinubuadvocate:
he was rather arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, who traced Mohammed to Jigawa where he was picked up

But Nigerian police no get work whatever the young Muhammed did I'm not see it as a serious crime. Especially for a well known prominent person like Aisha it's part of Democracy madam leave the boy and move on.

GOTVee:
Even though I'm a born again Christian, there is nothing bad in the arrest and detention of the boy in question. It is very disrespectful body shaming our first Lady with baseless accusations. Aisha Buhari is not our president neither was she voted for. We should know where to transfer our anger and aggressions. This will serve as a lesson to those untrained Obidients who believe they can disrespect anyone with contrary opinions, you will all rot in jail. The major lesson I learnt in this is the calmness of our Muslim brothers up north, if this happened in the south, we Christians would have screamed persecution forgetting that it's totally wrong to defame constituted authorities

kenny714433:



Why would they apologise?
Is the first lady not feeding fat from tax payers money?
Has she shown enough empathy to the over 113 million poor people her husband has created?
Is freedom of expression not enshrined in our constitution?

Is she isn't guilty of what that boy said,why is she pained? Power intoxication is bad

What's the easiest thing to do between; Remaining quiet and keep enjoying the country's money, coming out to set the records straight by telling us her businesses or her work and arresting a young lad for expressing his opinions?

God1000:
This is bad, the first lady should not incur the wrath of nigerians.

The young man should be released immediately

GOTVee:
Even though I'm a born again Christian, there is nothing bad in the arrest and detention of the boy in question. It is very disrespectful body shaming our first Lady with baseless accusations. Aisha Buhari is not our president neither was she voted for. We should know where to transfer our anger and aggressions. This will serve as a lesson to those untrained Obidients who believe they can disrespect anyone with contrary opinions, you will all rot in jail. The major lesson I learnt in this is the calmness of our Muslim brothers up north, if this happened in the south, we Christians would have screamed persecution forgetting that it's totally wrong to defame constituted authorities

FreeStuffsNG:

Democracy is not part of insulting your mother sir. Democracy does not give license to criminal malicious defamations. Many hiding behind monikers here to make criminal malicious defamations too will someday be picked up and prosecuted.

As we type here, the social media bill to fundamentally stop these toxic and dangerous recklessness on social media platforms is before the British parliament.

Nowhere in the world is society built to allow any reckless behaviour go unchallenged. That ill-trained boy has grown to the age of accountability for his recklessness and lack of self control so should face the music. Only a foolish child brings disgrace to his parents. He is a foolish boy that needs to be corrected especially by the law. They should not stop at him, all the other reckless accursed youths who insult and disgrace their parents and those old enough to be their parents/grandparents too should be arrested and prosecuted.

Platforms must be prosecuted too, especially that employee and owner of the platform with the responsibility to remove toxic contents need to be arrested and prosecuted too.

Nobody deserves to dump his bad behaviour and lack of home training on others whether offline or online. Most of the youths are already destroyed with curses because giving honour to anyone old enough to be your parent comes with a promise that it shall be well with you.
It is already not well with him and other youths who have ever mocked or insulted a parent online. It is not a curse, it is God's word and it never returns void.

This is what Pastor Oyedepo meant.