The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the arrest and remand of Dr. Ahmad Abubakar, a lecturer at the Federal College of Horticultural Technology, Dadin Kowa, Gombe State, for sharing a video of the Bauchi State Governor’s son on social media.
According to RULAAC, such action was a dangerous abuse of power and an assault on free speech.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, said that Dr. Abubakar’s detention, simply for posting a public video of Mr. Shamsuddeen Mohammed — a public figure and son of a sitting governor — dancing with his wife, is a gross abuse of state power and a blatant violation of constitutionally protected rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression, privacy, and due process under the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law.
Nwanguma insisted that the video, posted on April 9, 2025, captioned “’ Yan Bauchi Ta Kudu Ga Sanatan Mu Fa”, was not offensive, obscene, or threatening.
He added: “It was a harmless post within the limits of free civic expression, and it attracted political interpretation like most public commentary in a democracy. Yet, Dr. Abubakar was summoned, detained, and has now been remanded in prison, based on a petition alleging ‘invasion of privacy’ and ‘defamation.’ Invasion of privacy is a civil matter, not a criminal offence.
“If Mr. Shamsuddeen Mohammed believes his privacy was violated, he has the right to seek redress in a civil court, not to deploy the police to orchestrate the criminal prosecution and imprisonment of a private citizen.
“The criminal justice system must never be weaponised to shield public officials or their families from scrutiny, satire, or civic criticism — especially when they occupy or aspire to public office.
“The continued detention of Dr. Abubakar is not only unjust but also illegal and intimidatory, designed to silence critical voices and shrink civic space in Nigeria, especially in the North, where intolerance for dissent appears to be growing at alarming levels.”
Nwanguma opined that this case reflected a disturbing trend of criminalisation of free speech and civic expression, especially on social media, arbitrary use of state institutions like the police, prosecutors, and courts to harass citizens for political ends and rapid erosion of civil liberties, particularly freedom of expression and opinion.
He stated: “We call on the Bauchi State Police Command to drop all charges against Dr. Abubakar and release him immediately and unconditionally. We urge the Inspector General of Police, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to investigate the misuse of police powers in this case and sanction any officers complicit in this unlawful detention.
“We further call on civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Assembly, and international partners to condemn this abuse of the criminal justice system, provide legal, political, and moral support to Dr. Abubakar and demand broader police and judicial reforms to protect citizens from arbitrary power.
“This is not just about one lecturer; it is about defending the constitutional right of every Nigerian to speak freely, criticise the powerful, and engage in public discourse without fear of arrest. We must resist the drift toward authoritarianism. Silencing critics is not governance. Criminalising dissent is not leadership.”
