Apparently bowing to mounting public pressure, First Lady Aisha Buhari, has withdrawn her court case against Aminu Mohammed, a final-year student of the University, Dutse, Jigawa State.
Muhammad, who hails from Azare in Bauchi State, was arrested on November 18 over a tweet that appeared to mock Mrs. Buhari.
His arrest elicited mixed reactions with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) apologising to Mrs. Buhari over the tweet.
The tweet in Hausa language, which was posted on June 8, read: “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi.”
Muhammad’s tweet, accompanied by a photo of Aisha, loosely translates as “Mama has eaten poor people’s money and is now full.”
He had been arraigned before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded at Suleja prison in Niger State.
Aminu was charged with Cybercrime, Cybersquatting, Computer Related Forgery, Conspiracy and Criminal Breach of Trust.
But withdrawing the case against the accused on Friday, the prosecution counsel, Fidelis Ogbobe said the First Lady as the mother of the nation decided to withdraw the case, following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians.
He relied on Section 108 subsection 2(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to move the application for the withdrawal of the case.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Halilu commended Mrs Buhari for taking the “bold steps” to forgive the accused.
He called on parents to always monitor their children to avoid recurrence.
Aminu’s guardian, Kabiru Shehu, confirmed the development.
He said Aminu was in Aso Villa in Abuja at time of report.
Also, Aminu’s lawyer, Mr. Agu, confirmed that the wife of the President has withdrawn the case against the student.