Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a swipe at Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State over the arrest and long detention of a postgraduate student of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, IBBUL, Abubakar Isah Mokwa

The student was said to have criticized the performance of Governor Bago on social media.

Atiku, while reacting in a statement on Saturday, said the arrest and detention were an abuse of power, stressing that it is a dangerous sign of Nigeria’s shrinking civic space.

According to him, it was disturbing that the student had been detained for over a week simply for expressing his opinion about Governor Bago.

“It has come to my attention that Abubakar Isah Mokwa, a postgraduate student of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, IBBUL, has been arrested and detained for over a week for merely expressing his opinion about Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State,” Atiku said.

‘Abuse of power, assault on democracy’ – Atiku blasts Gov Bago over student’s arrest