Human rights lawyer Abba Hikima has called on Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to urgently investigate the detention of Maryam Isah Shehu, a final-year student of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Hikima, in a statement, alleged that the student was detained by the EFCC for 35 days before a single-count charge was filed against her. He said the charge was reportedly filed less than 24 hours after concerns were raised publicly about her continued detention without trial.
According to the lawyer, Maryam’s alleged offence was connected to a social media post in which she accused an EFCC zonal director of corruption.
Hikima questioned why the student was kept in custody for more than a month when the eventual prosecution involved only one count allegedly related to the social media post. He also said the EFCC had not publicly explained whether the corruption allegations against its official were investigated or what the outcome of any investigation was.
The lawyer further alleged that the EFCC served Maryam with the charge only shortly before her arraignment, leaving her legal team with insufficient time to prepare for and properly argue her bail application.
He argued that filing a charge after 35 days of detention could not retrospectively justify the period the student had already spent in custody.
Hikima urged the Attorney-General, as Nigeria’s chief law officer, to review the case and ensure that Maryam is granted bail. He also called for an independent and transparent investigation into the corruption allegations she reportedly made against the EFCC official.
“The law must protect the accuser as much as it investigates the accusation,” he said.
Hikima warned that the handling of the case could raise concerns about Nigeria’s commitment to international human rights obligations.
The EFCC had not publicly responded to the allegations concerning Maryam’s detention, the timing of the charge or the status of any investigation into the corruption claims at the time of the report.
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