Amnesty International demands release of man allegedly detained over critical posts regarding APC rally

Amnesty International has called for the release of a man, Imran Wakili, detained over social media posts criticising the images from the recent flag-off of the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State.

In a statement shared on its X official account on Tuesday, the rights group said Mr Wakili was “targeted for his staunch support for former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.”

“Detaining Mr Wakili solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression is unacceptable and shows contempt for the rule of law,” the statement said. “Under international human rights law, the mere fact that a social media post is considered unpalatable by those in power or any public figure is not sufficient to justify arbitrary detention by the police.”

The APC flagged off its presidential campaign in Kaduna on 24 October, sparking controversies over the turnout of supporters for the event.

Mr Wakili joined the fray by suggesting on X that images from the event were doctored to give an impression of large turnout of supporters.

Others like Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed other doubts about the crowd. Atiku alleged that the supporters were brought in from other states.

The spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, accused Mr Abubakar of plotting to discredit the rally.

Arrest, condemnation

Amnesty International said Mr Wakili was tracked by heavily armed police operatives to his residence in Karu, Abuja, on 29 October.

“A heavily armed contingent of policemen invaded the estate where he resides at about 4:30 p.m. and asked security personnel to direct them to Mr Wakili’s apartment,” the group’s statement said.

It said although the police officers did not meet Mr Wakili at home, they arrested his younger brother and the estate manager to lure him.

It did not disclose details of how Mr Wakili was eventually arrested.

But the group decried arbitrary detention by the police and called on the Nigerian government to end the attack on human rights.

It noted that punishing Mr Wakili for dissenting comments shows contempt for the rule of law.

“Mr Wakili is at risk of ill-treatment, as he had been denied access to family and a lawyer in utter disregard for the rule of law.

“Mr Wakili did not commit any crime, and his unlawful detention shows abuse of power. It is perfectly within his right to express critical opinion on any matter of public interest.

“The government of President Bola Tinubu must end these relentless attacks on human rights.”

The authorities have yet to comment on the arrest.

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Mr Wakili is believed to be a staunch supporter of former Kaduna State Governor El-Rufai, a political adversary of President Tinubu facing various charges in Kaduna and Abuja.

Mr Wakili’s arrest brings back to mind how the Kaduna State police used the same tactics to arrest Farida Isiak over a N100 dispute involving her mother and a neighbour.

Following the disagreement, the neighbour returned with police officers and arrested Ms Isiak’s mother.

When she learnt of her mother’s arrest, Ms Isiak took to Facebook to criticise the police over the incident.

The police detained her father to lure Ms Isiak.

These two incidents typify growing concerns about threats and restrictions on freedom of expression in civic spaces.

In July, a report by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) recorded 245 incidents of civic space violations in 2025, with state actors involved in 219 of the cases.

The report identified the Nigeria Police Force as being involved in 118 of the 219 incidents involving state actors.