Nigeria: release of the student imprisoned for a tweet targeting the First Lady

Aisha Buhari with her husband, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015 (photo illustration).

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP

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1 min

In Nigeria, the student arrested for a tweet mocking the weight gain of Aisha Buhari, the president's wife, was finally released on Friday December 2.

Aminu Mohammed had been arrested and imprisoned more than five months after the publication of his message.

The First Lady chose to withdraw her complaint before the case escalated further.

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With our correspondent in Lagos

,

Student Aminu Mohammed released from prison.

Faced with the outcry caused by her complaint, Nigerian First Lady Aisha Buhari was forced to back down.

The wife of President

had

for a tweet published in June 2022. The 23-year-old young man made fun of Aisha Buhari's weight gain in the accusing him of having " 

 ".

After his arrest in early November, Aminu Mohammed was brought before a court in Abuja on Tuesday where he was formally charged with " 

".

The request for parole filed by his lawyer so that he could take his exams had also been rejected.

A widely criticized complaint

Faced with the wave of indignation on

, the First Lady finally withdrew her complaint.

The young man regained his freedom on Friday evening.

In recent days, several personalities, who had been at the forefront of the

against police violence and bad governance, have given their support to Aminu Mohammed.

The National Association of Students of Nigeria, one of the main student unions in the country, had even announced a national mobilization from Monday to demand his release.

Amesty International's Nigerian branch has denounced the student's treatment

The heavy-handed mistreatment of #Aminu Adamu Muhammed is a clear attempt to strike fear into the hearts of young Nigerians who use social media to hold the powerful to account.

The Nigerian authorities must urgently respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression.

— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) December 2, 2022

On Friday evening, the judge who ruled in this case welcomed Aisha Buhari's decision, while encouraging parents to better supervise their children.

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