Amnesty International Condemns ‘Arbitrary’ Arrest of Zamfara Governor’s Aide
Abubakar Salim Musa
Amnesty International has condemned, what it called the arbitrary arrest of Zamfara Governor’s aide, Abubakar Salim Musa, by security agents in Abuja and demanded for his unconditional release.
In a statement on Wednesday, the human rights body said his abduction and detention is a clear abuse of power, unlawful and unacceptable.
It said, “Last week, it emerged that Salim was being tracked and monitored by officers attached to the Gusau Central Police Command. This is connected to his legitimate exercise of freedom of expression on social media.
“No formal invitation, complaint, or allegation was communicated to him.
“His lawyers made further effort of seeking clarification from the police given the intense tracking of his movement by security agents. While he was in Abuja, a contingent of heavily armed security personnel tracked him to Sounders Suites, located in Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E and abducted him. He was detained at abbatoir — a notorious police detention centre where past detainees were tortured. When his family and lawyers approached the detention centre to find out exactly why he was detained, the police brazenly denied having him in their custody.
“The Nigerian authorities must release Abubakar Salim immediately and unconditionally. No one should be punished for criticizing a government official. Abubakar Salim did not commit any crime and his arrest shows clear abuse of power. It is perfectly within his right to criticize any government official — no matter his position or status.
“Detaining Abubakar Salim solely for exercising the right to freedom of expression is unacceptable and shows contempt for the rule of law. Under international human rights law, the mere fact that a social media post is considered unpalatable by any government official or any public figure is not sufficient to justify arbitrary detention by the police.
“The right of young people to freedom of expression in Nigeria is increasingly threatened. A lot of young Nigerians have come attacks, ranging from threats, to arrests, illegal detention, and harassment, all for simply expressing their opinions online.
“This is unlawful and unacceptable.”
The Syndicate reports that Zamfara State Government had earlier in a statement, accused the National Security Adviser and the Minister of State for Defence of ochestrating the arrest and detention.
A statement issued by Sulaiman Bala Idris, Spokesperson for Zamfara Governor, described the situation as disturbing, reckless and detrimental to Nigeria’s reputation.
According to the government, Matawalle has been using the office of the National Security Adviser to harass and intimidate the opposition.
The Zamfara government said that the latest of such brazen disregard to the rule of law was the abduction of one of Abubakar Salim Musa, saying it is an attempt to silent opposition voices.
Mr Idris stated “We received a shocking and distressing message that Saleem Abubakar, a Technical Assistant in the Office of the Zamfara State Governor, was abducted in Abuja yesterday.
“The illegal abduction was said to have been carried out by a special forces unit from the office of the National Security Adviser. The most unfortunate and worrying part of the abduction of Saleem Abubakar is that it was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the State Minister for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
“The abductors, without an arrest warrant, took Saleem to an unknown location, which we later found out they moved him to different facilities to cover their tracks. This is a perilous precedent that all Nigerians must strongly condemn. No amount of desperation is worth compromising the neutrality of the security.
“We cannot afford to fold our arms and watch the highest security office of the country being used as a tool of political persecution.
“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to call the office of the National Security Adviser to order. Such reckless actions are detrimental to Nigeria’s reputation.
“If the Defence Minister or the abductors of Saleem Abubakar from the National Security Adviser’s office have any problem with him, they should charge him in court instead of abducting him.
“We are closely monitoring this case of federal impunity and will follow it to a logical conclusion, ensuring that justice is served.”
