Adamu, a student at the Federal University of Dutse, has been remanded in custody at Suleja Prison in Niger State after being detained for criticizing First Lady Aisha Buhari on Twitter.
The pupil had tweeted back in June, “Su mama Anchi Kudin Talakawa a koshi,” which is translated as, “Mama has fed fat on poor people’s money.”
He was taken into custody a few months later and sent to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where, according to his uncle, he was assaulted and tortured.
The student was then charged at a court in Abuja, where he pleaded not guilty to the allegations made against him but was still granted bail.
Speaking with BBC Hausa, CK Agu, his lawyer, said, “Even in the court session yesterday, we notified the judge about the efforts made to have him released on bail, but we did not receive any reply from the police. We applied to the court to release the student on bail on health grounds and the fact that he will sit for the exam on 5, December. The court has ordered the police to provide the bail application before it for consideration between Tuesday and Wednesday,” Mr Agu was quoted to have said.
Aminu is a final-year student in the Department of Environmental Management at Federal University, Dutse. He is from the Bauchi state town of Azare.
His arrest had prompted outcry, particularly on social media, as many Nigerians argued that no one should be detained simply for expressing their opinions.
The First Lady has received an apology from Aminu’s parents, who also want him released. Aisha Buhari has not yet responded to the news.