Nigerian Police Operatives Detain Three Persons Since December For ‘Criticising’ First Lady, Aisha Buhari

The Nigeria Police Force has intensified its crackdown on the critics of the first lady, Aisha Buhari, after arresting three people in lieu of a woman believed to be residing in Saudi Arabia.

The newly arrested suspects are Salisu Isyaku, Salisu Habib and Zubairu Ahmed in lieu of a female suspect, Kaltim Ahmed, according to Daily Nigerian report.

It was gathered that the three “suspects” were arrested on December 14, 2022 and detained in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, without access to their families and lawyers.

Ms Ahmed, a fiery irredentist who criticises Fulani dominance of Hausa in audio messages shared on Whatsapp and other social media platforms had lambasted Mrs Buhari for ordering the arrest and participating in the brutalisation of a final-year student.

The Hausa nationalist said in the audio posted on the YouTube channel @jarumhausatv that the first lady's grandparents were itinerant foreigners wandering in bushes, daring the first lady to arrest her.

“Your husband deceived us, lying and crying. It is good that we elected him, and his election had exposed all the Fulanis in Nigeria.

“Your government is silent about killing of Hausa people by Fulani. The southerners have rained all manner of abuses against you, but you are silent. Now you are here intimidating Northerners,” she said in the audio.

It was further gathered that detectives from the Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, at the force headquarters tracked the trio and arrested them over their alleged “contact” with the principal suspect.

A security source at the presidency said one of the suspects, Salisu Isyaku, is a bureau de change operator, who was arrested for exchanging Saudi riyals to naira for the principal suspect.

“Initially, he was charged with terrorism financing but later changed to cyber stalking when the police realised that the transaction between them was not up to N500,000.

“The police are under intense pressure from Madam [first lady] to deal with the suspects. She wanted the suspects to be charged. Even the release of Dutse university student was not done with her consent, and she was angry with the IGP (the Inspector-General of Police] over withdrawal of charges against the boy,” the source added.

Spokesman for the Nigerian police, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to an inquiry on the matter.

SaharaReporters had reported In November last year, how the Nigeria police arrested a final-year student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Aminu Mohammed and one Zainab Kazeem, a former aide to the first lady, Aisha Buhari.

While the student was arrested for criticising the first lady’s size that ballooned recently, the former aide was arrested for allegedly getting access to the First Lady’s Instagram account and deleting her posts.

The duo was later released and charged dropped against them, following widespread outcry over their illegal arrest, detention and torture.

-punch