Shafi’u Umar Tureta, an aide to former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, has been remanded in a correctional facility on charges of defaming the current governor, Ahmad Aliyu, and his wife, Fatima, on social media.
Tureta, who previously served as Tambuwal’s Special Assistant on Local and Digital Media, faced a magistrate’s court in Sokoto on Monday. He is accused of spreading false and defamatory information, actions which reportedly violate the Penal Code. These offenses are alleged to have occurred in July.
The charges against Tureta include sharing a document on Facebook that allegedly showed Governor Aliyu receiving an F9 grade in English Language in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). He is also accused of posting a video of dollar bills being sprayed at Fatima’s birthday celebration and sharing videos mocking the governor’s English fluency.
Reports indicate that armed security personnel raided Tureta’s home on Sunday to arrest him. During the court proceedings, the presiding magistrate, Fatima Hassan, barred journalists from covering the case, as reported by Premium Times.
Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned Tureta’s arrest, demanding his “unconditional release” and calling the charges against him “bogus.” The organization described the arrest as “unacceptable” and criticized the Sokoto State government’s human rights record, urging the government to focus on pressing issues such as poverty, out-of-school children, and insecurity in the region.
The Sokoto State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned Tureta’s arrest, arguing that sharing public videos of a governor does not constitute a crime under Nigerian law. The party’s spokesperson, Hassan Sahabi Sanyinnawal, pointed out that the videos in question were likely recorded by the governor’s own media team and suggested that it is the responsibility of the governor and his aides to prevent such materials from reaching the public.
The PDP further criticized the Sokoto State Government for what it described as a worsening human rights record, marked by the harassment of dissenting voices. The party urged Governor Ahmad Aliyu to focus on improving governance rather than stifling freedom of expression.
Senator Aminu Tambuwal, who served as the governor of Sokoto from 2015 to 2023 and now represents Sokoto South in the Nigerian Senate, has yet to comment publicly on the arrest of his former aide.
