Why Aisha Buhari, Under Attack, Withdrew Case Against Student, Aminu Adamu

By Gideon Njoku

Bowing to pressure, First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has withdrawn the case she filed against a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

Mrs Buhari, scoring an avoidable own goal, had ordered the arrest of the student, 24 year old Aminu Adamu, for a defamatory post in June 22.

The final year student of Environmental Management posted on his tweeter handle, that “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money.” To the post, she attached two photographs of Mrs Buhari, one before she became the First Lady, and the other, a rotund Mrs Buhari presently.

Angered, Mrs Buhari had the student tracked to his school, arrested, flown to Abuja, allegedly tortured on her orders, and hauled before a Court on Tuesday.

The Judge,  Justice  Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, remanded him in Prison Custody, Suleja, and set trial date against January 30.

The  one-count charge read: ” That you Aminu Adamu, male of Anguwar Sarakuna, Bauchi, Bauchi State, sometime between May – June 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did intentionally opened (sic) a Tweeter handle with the name @aminullahie, aka Catalyst, and screenshot the photograph of Her Excellency, Hajia Aisha Buhari, and wrote on it in Hausa Language ‘Su Mama anchi kudi talakwa ankoshi’, roughly translated to 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

31 of the Penal Code”

But, Mrs Buhari’s action sparked an unprecedented outrage with not a few Nigerians and Groups, including the Media and the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, condemning her for crossing the borderline.

While some asked for her arrest for taking the laws into her hands, NANS declared it would embark on a nationwide protest as from December 5, 2022, until the release of Mohammed.

Apparently, to avoid more embarrassing reactions, and the damage it has caused her and her husband’s Government, Mrs Buhari on Friday withdrew the case against the student.

Withdrawing the case, prosecution Counsel, Fidelis  Ogbobe, said the First Lady, as the mother of the Nation, bowed to interventions of well-meaning Nigerians.

Ogbobe said he relied on Section 108, subsection 2(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to move the application of the withdrawal of the case.

The Judge granted the request.