Aisha Buhari, the president’s wife, is reportedly scheduled to testify against Aminu Mohammed, a student at the Federal University of Dutse Jigawa, who criticised her on Twitter.
According to a report published on Wednesday (yesterday), the student in question was remanded in custody after being charged on Tuesday with cyber stalking and defaming the First Lady at the FCT High Court No. 14 in Abuja.
Mohammed, despite entering a not guilty plea, was nonetheless detained at the Suleja Correctional Facility without the chance to post bail.
The 24-year-old, who is from Bauchi State, was allegedly detained a few days ago on the First Lady’s orders, which infuriated Nigerians and led to many of them calling for his release.
Back in June, he had tweeted in Hausa that the First Lady was getting fat off the money of the underprivileged.
The tweet read, “Su mama Anchi Kudin Talakawa an koshi,” meaning, “Mama has fed fat on poor people’s money.”
The 500-level student was allegedly brutalised, beaten, mistreated, and humiliated by police officers who were thought to be men from the Department of State Services after they picked him up from his school two weeks ago and took him immediately to the Presidential Villa.
Recent information available shows that Aisha is among five witnesses assembled by the prosecution to testify against Mohammed in court, with the police alleging that the offence bordering on defamation and cyberstalking, contravened Section 391 of the Penal Code.
The one-count charge against the student marked: CR/89/2022, and dated November 23, reads, “That you Aminu Adamu, male of Anguwar Sarakuna, Bauch, Bauchi state sometime between May – June 2022 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable court did intentionally open a Twitter Handle with the name @aminullahie Catalyst and screenshot the image of Her Excellency Hajia Aisha Buhari and wrote on it in Hausa language ‘Su mama anchi kudi talakawa ankoshi’ roughly translated to the English language to mean ‘mama has embezzled monies meant for the poor to satisfaction’ and posted same on your above Twitter handle for the members of the public to read, knowing same to be false and capable of affecting her reputation. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 391 of the penal code.”
The defendant is to be remanded in Suleja Prison pending the hearing and determination of his bail application, as disclosed by his lawyer, Kinsley Anga.