Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the Nigerian government to immediately and unconditionally release Imran Usman Wakili, who was allegedly arrested over social media posts claiming there was a low turnout at the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.
The organisation also said Wakili was targeted because of his strong support for former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who it claimed had been unlawfully detained for more than 260 days.
In a statement posted on X, Amnesty International described Wakili’s detention as a violation of his rights.
“His detention is unlawful and shows the Nigerian government’s complete disdain for due process.”
The organisation said security operatives arrested Wakili after tracking him to his residence in an estate in Karu, on the outskirts of Abuja, on October 29.
According to Amnesty International, a heavily armed team of police officers stormed the estate at about 4:30 pm and asked the security personnel to direct them to Wakili’s apartment.
When they discovered that he was not at home, the officers reportedly arrested his younger brother, who lives with him, and the estate manager.
The organisation expressed concern that Wakili could face ill-treatment, alleging that he had been denied access to his family and lawyer.
“Right now, Imran is at the risk of ill-treatment, as he had been denied access to family and lawyer in utter disregard for the rule of law.”
Amnesty International further accused the authorities of punishing Wakili for expressing his views on social media.
“Clearly, Imran is being punished for his critical and dissenting posts on social media. Imran Wakili did not commit any crime, and his unlawful detention shows abuse of power. It is perfectly within his right to express critical opinion on any matter of public interest,” the organisation said.
It maintained that detaining someone simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression was unacceptable.
The human rights organisation also argued that under international human rights law, social media posts that may offend government officials or public figures do not provide sufficient grounds for arbitrary police detention.
It urged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to stop what it described as persistent attacks on human rights and respect the rule of law.