Fact-Check: Did DSS Arrest Final Year Varsity Student on Aisha Buhari’s Directives?

Claim: Social media was recently awash with claims that the Department of State Service, DSS whisked away a final-year student of the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa State, on the directive of Nigeria’s first lady Aisha Buhari over a Twitter post he made about her.

Full-Text: The post wherein the claim was made reads: “We Seek Justice For Aminu Adamu Muhammed, Taken Away From Federal University Dutse On Thursday 8th November, 2022 By Suspected Security Operatives From Aso Rock[sic].”

“Aminu Is 23yrs Old, A Final Year Student Of Environmental Management And Toxicology At FUD Jigawa State, With Out Prior Knowledge Of School Authority, Taken Away By Security Operatives To Aso Rock Over His Statement Targeted First Lady Aisha Buhari. Aminu’s Sudden Disappearance Came To The Father’s Notice When One Of His Friend (School Mate) From The University Called Him To Inform Him Of Not Seeing Aminu For Five Days In The School. Other Source From School Said Aminu Was Forcefully Taken Around 12 O’clock Pm By Suspected To Be Security Operatives[sic].

“Aminu Said After Been Beated Mercilessly By Security Before First Lady, Was Later Taken To Unknown Location In Abuja Not A Police Station, For One week Before He Was Allowed To Called His Father Adamu Shalele Azare, A Retired Bauchi State Civil Servant[sic].

“Father Of Aminu Expresses Sadness Over The Action Of Security Operatives As Well As Nasty Decision Of First Lady[sic].

“Below Is The Comment Made By Aminu Adamu Shalele On His Tweeter Handle Sometimes In June During ASUU Strike, Which Warrants His Castigation[sic].

“SU MAMA ANCI KUDIN TALAKAWA ANKOSHI”

“This Statement Is Attached With Pictures Of First Lady Of 2015 And That Of Today[sic]. We Call For Justice To Young Environmentalist Who’ll Write His Final Examination On December 5th[sic].

Verification: an online search by this newspaper revealed that SaharaReporters claimed that officials Department of State Service, DSS arrested a final-year student of the Federal University of Dutse on the directive of Aisha Buhari over a post he made about her.

To verify the claim of the arrest, findings by POLITICS NIGERIA reveal that the student was arrested by plain clothed police operatives. This was also confirmed by PRNigeria, who reached out to a Security Official at the University.

The security guard said: “The student was picked up by police operatives on November 18th at about 3pm at the hostel of the Federal University of Dutse called Shekarau Anguwan.”

Bauchi-born Mohammed is a student of Environmental Management at the Federal University, Dutse and will be writing his exams on December 5th, 2022.

Amnesty International Abuja has strongly condemned the arrest and called for his immediate release. They vowed that all those who subjected the young student to torture and other human rights violations will be brought to justice.

Speaking to Freedom Radio, his uncle, Baba Shehu said that Muhammad made the post out of frustration when Aisha Buhari posted pictures of her children who graduated from a foreign university amidst the strike.

“Aminu phoned his father and told him what happened to him. He told his father that he was arrested, beaten up by the police, and taken to the first lady.

“Aminu told us that he was arrested because of a post about Aisha Buhari…we agree that Aminu was wrong but she should seek justice through proper means…”

It was also gathered that Muhammed was arrested and handed over to the police command in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The suspect in our custody was arrested for an offence he committed and he will soon be arraigned in an Abuja court,” the senior police officer said.

Conclusion: Based on facts and data gathered by this newspaper, the university student, Aminu Adamu Muhammed was arrested by the Nigeria Police and and would soon be arraigned in the court for an alleged defamation.

Claims that the Student was arrested by DSS is false.