Eric Patrick
Former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the People Democratic party in the last 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar has lamented over the detention of human rights lawyer and advocate, Dele Farotimi, stating that he is languishing in prison for speaking truth to power.
To commemorate the International Human Rights Day, Abubakar noted that the lawyer’s arrest is a glaring example of the pervasive climate of impunity and rights violations in the country.
Atiku made this Known in a statement shared on his X.com handle on Tuesday.
According to the statement made by the former vice president, Farotimi's only offense lies in his unflinching commitment to exposing the truths that the government and its collaborators would rather remain hidden.
Faulting the circumstances surrounding Farotimi’s detention, Atiku stressed that Farotimi is being prosecuted under a cyberbullying law that does not exist in Ekiti State.
Atiku further said that the situation is a grave injustice and a violation of constitutional rights.
Atiku also raised concerns about the use of cyberbullying law, which he claimed has been a tool to harass, intimidate, and silence dissenting voices in the opposition and the press.
The statement read, "A lawyer and tireless advocate for human rights, now languishes in prison custody not for any crime but for the supposed “crime” of persistently speaking truth to power.
"More troubling still is the fact that he is detained and prosecuted under the guise of a law that does not even exist in Ekiti State.
"His plight serves as a poignant reflection of the pervasive climate of impunity and the blatant violation of citizens’ rights that has become all too common in Nigeria.
"Yet, perhaps the most alarming of all is the weaponization of the cyberbullying law, which is being used as a tool to harass, intimidate, and silence dissenting voices in the opposition and the press.
"On this solemn occasion of International Human Rights Day, let us take a moment to remind our leaders at every level of government to honour the oaths they have sworn to protect and uphold the constitutionally enshrined rights of the people.
"Only through this commitment can we hope to nurture and strengthen our democracy."
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