A Nigerian student has appeared before a criminal court in Abuja on charges of defaming the First Lady, Aisha Buhari over a tweet deemed offensive to her, his lawyer said on Thursday.
According to court documents, Aminu Adamu, a student at the Federal University of Dutse, in northern Nigeria, was arrested on November 18, 2022. And transferred to Abuja, five months after posting the message in which he commented on the physical appearance of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and criticized her.
His arrest was strongly condemned by Amnesty International, following a preliminary investigation by the police after the filing of a complaint by the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The young man was brought before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, November 29, and the charge against him is defamation. And according to the Nigerian criminal code, Mr. Adamu faces up to two years in prison when found guilty by the court.
The hearing has been adjourned to January 30, 2023. His lawyer, Chijioke Agu said he had applied for bail for his client, who is being held in Suleja prison, northwest of Abuja.
Information from the court documents has it that the student admitted posting the offending message on Twitter. Which included a photo of Mrs. Buhari and a comment in Hausa, the most widely spoken language in northern Nigeria.
In a statement released earlier by Amnesty International, Adamu's family and relatives said he was "subjected to beatings, torture and other ill-treatments". Amnesty also denounced an "illegal arrest" and called for his "immediate" and "unconditional" release.
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: A Nigerian Student is Charged with "Criminal Defamation" over Tweet about First Lady, Aisha Buhari){kind=link}
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