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Shafi’u Tureta, a media assistant to former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, remains imprisoned in a correctional facility following his detention for reportedly making disparaging remarks about Fatima Ahmad Aliyu, the governor’s wife.
According to ZINGTIE, Shafi’u was taken into custody by Sokoto State Police Command agents in August after it was claimed that he had disparaged the First Lady.
The governor’s wife was criticized when a widely shared video of her extravagant birthday celebration featured dollar-throwing visitors.
The video, purportedly shared by activist Shafi’u, sparked outrage on social media as Nigerians lamented the purported waste of money in the midst of their nation’s continuing economic crisis.
In a tweet on Monday, Abdul-Aziz Na’ibi Abubakar, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), demanded the activist’s immediate release, claiming he was detained for “Sokoto First Lady dancing to the spree of dollars on her birthday, and for criticizing the Sokoto State governor for spending N1.2 billion to repair 25 boreholes.”
Rufa’i Ahmad, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto Command, verified to ZINGTIE on Tuesday that the activist was arrested in August as a result of a petition filed by the First Lady, who alleged character assassination.
Tureta was placed under remand in the correctional facility after being charged by the Chief Magistrate Court of Sokoto State following his arrest.
In contrast to rumors that the police held the suspect for over two weeks, the PPRO told ZINGTIE that the command “didn’t detain him. We charged him to court the day after he was arrested.”
“It is not about criticizing the state government because everybody has the right to freedom of speech,” the police spokesman added.
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