A court in Abuja has arraigned Aminu Muhammed, a student of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, who was abducted by security operatives for “defaming” Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady.
According to BBC Hausa, Aminu was arraigned yesterday in an Abuja court. The student had sometime in June this year, criticised the first lady during a time when students were idle at home as a result of months-long industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Barrister CK Agu, Aminu’s lawyer revealed that his client has been arraigned before a court in Abuja and that he pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him, adding that they have been pleading with the police to release the accused on bail but it declined.
“Even at yesterday’s court sitting, we informed the presiding judge that we have asked the police to give us Aminu on bail but they did not respond to our request on whether they will give us bail or not,” said Agu. ”For that, we have pleaded with the court to grant us bail on health grounds and that he will soon start writing examinations on December 5. Even now the court has ordered the police to immediately present the bail request for the court to look into it today or tomorrow.”
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Earlier, Aminu’s parents said that they will present their son to court if handed over to them by the security operatives but his lawyer said he has since been arraigned on Tuesday and that the trial will continue on either Wednesday or Thursday.
When asked where Aminu was being held, the lawyer said, ”he is presently detained at Suleja Correctional Facility pending the court’s decision on his bail request.”
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Aminu’s detention by security agencies has sparked a lot of controversies, especially on social media, with many seeing it as an affront breach of human rights and a gross violation of the constitution by those at the helm of the nation’s affairs.
