Aisha Buhari to testify against university student

First lady Aisha Buhari has been listed to testify against Aminu Adamu, a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, for alleged defamation.

Adamu was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT High Court in Maitama, where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded at Suleja prison in Niger State.

The 24-year-old tweeted on June 8 an alleged defamatory statement against Mrs Buhari.

He wrote in Hausa which is translated as, “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money.”

The final year student was arrested in Dutse on November 18 and taken to Abuja.

In the one-count charge marked: CR/89/2022, and dated November 23, the police say Adamu “between May and June 2022 within the jurisdiction of this court, did intentionally open a Twitter handle with the name …Catalyst and screenshot the photograph of her Excellency Hajia Aisha Buhari and wrote on it in Hausa language… roughly translated to English language to mean ‘Mama has embezzled monies meant for the poor to satisfaction’ and posted same on your above Twitter handle.. knowing same to be false and capable of affecting her reputation.”

The police said the alleged offence bordering on defamation and cyberstalking, contravened Section 391 of the Penal Code.

Premium Times reported that it got hold of a list of witnesses attached to the proof of evidence filed by the police showing the nominal complainant, Mrs Buhari, is one of the five witnesses assembled by the prosecution to establish the case against Adamu.

Another witness is Festus Jossiah, one of the investigators that tracked and arrested the defendant.

Abdulsalam Zakari, Yahaya Njayo and Haliru Tahir, all police officers, are the other proposed prosecution witnesses.

Adamu’s case was adjourned until January 30 for the hearing of his bail request.

But the defendant reportedly has an examination on December 5.