Lawyer tackles FG over arrest of alleged mastermind of Buhari’s fake marriage video
Tope Akinyode, a human rights lawyer has criticised the Federal Government over the arrest of 32-year-old man, Kabiru Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the fake viral video of Buhari’s marriage.
The video, which went viral in October 2019, depicted a wedding between President Muhammadu Buhari and and two female ministers, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq and Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.
According to Punch, the lawyer described Mohammed’s arrest is an abuse of public office privileges a monumental abuse of public office.
He added that it’s an indirect affront on the citizens’ liberty to engage government without restraint.
On Friday, December 3, 2019, Peter Afunanya, spokesman for the Department of State Service, (DSS) confirmed the arrest of the suspect.
Afunanya said, the secret police launched an investigation into the viral video following a formal complaint by the minister for finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, who was also shown in the clip as Buhari’s bride.
But Akintoye argued the alleged offence for which Mohammed was arrested isn’t defamatory enough to warrant his arrest.
He said, “Under the Nigerian jurisprudence, libel or defamation could indeed be criminal. However, the position of the law is that in order to prove criminal libel or criminal defamation, the misdeed of the suspect must be such that is capable of creating widespread public unrest or instigating a threat to national security”.
Kabiru Mohammed hails from Kano. He holds a diploma in Hausa and Fulfulde from the federal college of education, Kano and also holds a diploma in mass communication from Aminu Kano Islamic school.