A Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the remand of Shafi’u Umar-Tureta, a former aide to ex-Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, in custody for allegedly spreading false and defamatory information about Governor Ahmad Aliyu and his wife, Hajia Fatima Aliyu, on social media.
Umar-Tureta, who served as a Special Assistant during Tambuwal’s administration, was charged with circulating injurious falsehood and distributing defamatory content through online platforms. The charges against him were first mentioned in court on August 26, 2024, where the Police Prosecutor, Abdurahman Mansur, stated that the actions violated the penal code law.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the alleged offenses occurred on July 18, 2024. The prosecution accused Umar-Tureta of sharing a video of Hajia Fatima Aliyu, the governor’s wife, in which she was seen spreading money on the ground during her birthday celebration. The prosecution argued that this act was particularly insensitive given the economic hardship and hunger faced by many citizens in the state.
Additionally, Umar-Tureta was accused of circulating a document that falsely claimed Governor Ahmad Aliyu had failed his Senior Secondary School Examination, receiving an F9 grade, and that he was incapable of speaking English.
Umar-Tureta denied all the allegations against him. His lead defense counsel, Mr. Al’Mustafa Abubakar, made an oral request for his client’s bail. However, the prosecution objected to the bail request, leading the magistrate to reserve her ruling on the matter.
During the proceedings, Abubakar argued that the case should be scheduled for a definite hearing and criticized the prosecution for allegedly using the ongoing investigation as an excuse for delaying the case. He insisted that the investigation should have been completed before the court’s next sitting.
In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Fatima Hassan stated that the only document presented before the court was the FIR. Given the seriousness of the charges, she directed the defense counsel to file a formal application for bail instead of relying on an oral request. She then adjourned the case to September 18, 2024, for a hearing and ordered that Umar-Tureta be remanded in the Correctional Center until that date.