A magistrate court in Sokoto has remanded an aide of former State governor Aminu Tambuwal in a prison for sharing a media content considered offensive to the state governor, Ahmad Aliyu and his wife, Fatima.
Shafiu Umar Tureta has been remanded in a correctional facility for allegedly insulting the first family in a Facebook post.
Tureta allegedly shared a video of the governor struggling to construct a sentence in English and also posted Mr Aliyu’s senior secondary school leaving certificate online.
WikkiTimes observes that recently a video clip of the governor went viral on social media while he struggled to read a prepared speech in English.
Many social media users mocked the governor for his inability to communicate effortlessly in English language.
The presiding magistrate, Fatima Hassan, halted reporters from covering the court proceedings on Monday.
But the police’s First Information Report (FIR) obtained by reporters indicated that the government charged Tureta with circulating injurious falsehood and engraving matter known to be defamatory, offences, the government said contravened the Penal Code law.
According to the FIR, the accused person committed the offences sometimes in July by sharing videos of the governor’s wife, Fatima Aliyu, spreading money on ground during her birthday party.
Tureta was also allegedly accused of sharing a document that indicated that Governor Aliyu failed his Senior Secondary School Examination as he scored F9 in English and is not capable of speaking the language fluently.
His lawyer, Yusuf Abubakar, later told reporters that Umar denied the charges and made an oral application for his bail.
The Chief Magistrate adjourned the ruling on bail application to September 6 and ordered his remand in the correctional center.
Amnesty International Nigeria and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto have called for unconditional release of Tureta.
