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Nigerian Students, NANS In South-West Kicks Against Apology To Aisha Buhari, Says First Lady’s Conduct Shameful Over Student’s Arrest

Nigerian Students, NANS In South-West Kicks Against Apology To Aisha Buhari, Says First Lady’s Conduct Shameful Over Student’s Arrest
November 29, 2022

Mohammed’s arrest by the police on the order of the First Lady has generated condemnations from notable Nigerians.

The South-West Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has disagreed with the national body of the association for tendering an apology to the President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, over the arrest of a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Aminu Mohammed, by the Nigeria Police.

Recall that the First Lady ordered the arrest of Mohammed over his tweet on the First Lady where he said that Aisha became fat since her husband became the president as she was enjoying the taxpayers’ money.

Mohammed’s arrest by the police on the order of the First Lady has generated condemnations from notable Nigerians including social activist, Aisha Yesufu, who knocked the President’s wife for allegedly using her power against the student.

Initial reports said that Mohammed was arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), but NANS said that he was arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, who traced Mohammed to Jigawa where he was picked up.

Reacting to the incident on Tuesday, a section of the national leadership of NANS in a statement by Usman Barambu, apologised to the First Lady on behalf of the Nigerian students, and called for Mohammed’s release.

In the statement, NANS had said, “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 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.

“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.

“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.”

But the South West Zone of the students association disagreed with the national body and condemned the alleged action of the First Lady, saying Mohammed’s rights were grossly violated.

In a statement, the NANS’s South West Public Relations Officer, Giwa Temitope, said that “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.”