Amnesty International Nigeria has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Imran Usman Wakili, who was reportedly arrested for social media posts claiming low turnout at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.
The organization further said Wakili was targeted due to his strong support for former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai who it said has been unlawfully incarcerated for over 260 days.
Amnesty International said in a statement on X that Wakili’s incarceration was a breach of his rights.
“His detention is unlawful and shows the Nigerian government’s complete disdain for due process.
Security agents tracked Wakili to his home in an estate in Karu, on the outskirts of Abuja, and arrested him on October 29, the organization said.
Amnesty International said a heavily armed team of police officers invaded the estate at about 4:30pm and asked the security workers to guide them to Wakili's flat.
When the authorities found that he was not at home, they reportedly detained his younger brother who lives with him and the estate manager.
The organization said it feared Wakili could be ill-treated, claiming he was not allowed to see his family and lawyer.
“Imran is currently at risk of ill-treatment as he has been denied access to his family and lawyer in complete disregard of the rule of law.
Amnesty International also accused the authorities of sanctioning Wakili for sharing his views on social media.
Imran is clearly being penalised for his critical and rebellious postings on social media.
Imran Wakili has committed no crime and his unjust incarceration is misuse of authority.
“It is his right to express critical opinion on any issue of public interest,” the organization declared.
It stressed that it was wrong to detain anyone just for exercising the right to freedom of expression.
The human rights organization also said international human rights law does not permit police to arbitrarily detain someone on the basis of social media posts that might upset government officials or public figures.
The association called on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to desist from what it termed as continual attacks on human rights and respect the rule of law.
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