Amnesty Nigeria has called on the Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release social media activist, Junaidu Abdullahi, who was sent to prison for calling for mass protests against widespread hunger and economic hardship.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that Mr Abdullahi, popularly called Abusalma, was allegedly picked by security agents on Wednesday and subsequently taken to Abuja.
He was later returned to Kano, where a court ordered his remand for three weeks.
Mr Abdullahi recently made a video, saying that any Islamic cleric who spoke against the planned protest should be pulled down from the pulpit.
He later apologised to the clerics for making the comments and pulled down the post.
But in a statement issued on Saturday, Amnesty said that arresting critical voices shouldn’t be the priority of the government at “a time when millions of people are on the brink of starvation, widespread malnutrition, and deep poverty”.
The statement reads, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release social media activist Junaidu Abdullahi [Abusalma] who was sent to Kano prison for posting a viral Tik Tok video calling for mass peaceful protest over widespread hunger across the country.
“Hurriedly getting a court to send him to prison and adjourning the case till the next three weeks shows the Nigerian authorities clear intention of punishing Abusalma for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
“Arresting critical voices should not be the priority of the Nigerian authorities at a time millions of people are on the brink of starvation, widespread malnutrition and deep poverty,” said the statement.
The organisation also recalled how the administration of President Bola Tinubu made several attempts to suppress dissenting voices and silence critics of the economic hardship gripping the nation.
“In February, the Nigerian authorities unlawfully arrested Aisha Jibrin, Fatima Aliyu, Fatima Isyaku, and twenty-two others in Minna, Niger State, for participating in protests against the staggering cost of living crisis people are facing nationwide.
“Also in February, Kano state police command unlawfully arrested Fatima Auwal, the leader of the women local bread [Gurasa] bakers — protesting unbearable hike in the price of flour, which is the ingredient used in the production of the local bread.
“Nigeria’s current economic chaos came with unprecedented inflation that triggers high cost of food, medicine and hike in electricity tariff and tuition fees of public universities. These are placing undue stress on families, businesses, and communities”, the statement added.
