A socio-cultural organization from the North, known as the Northern Ethnic Youths Group Assembly (NEYGA), has criticized Amnesty International (AI) for endorsing false information that aims to destabilize Nigeria.
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On Friday, a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja ordered the detention of 29-year-old Ghali Isma’il for sharing misleading TikTok videos claiming that President Bola Tinubu had died from food poisoning.
He was apprehended by agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) and later brought before the Magistrate Court.
The DSS informed the court that the actions of the TikToker were in violation of Nigerian law. In response, AI stated that Isma’il’s arrest was a “clear demonstration of abuse of power.”
AI argued that the arrest was an effort to silence Nigerian youths and limit their social media expression. They claimed that Isma’il’s arrest occurred without a thorough investigation into the authenticity of the videos.
However, NEYGA’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Dan-Musa, accused AI of using the guise of free speech to undermine Nigeria.
In a signed statement, Dan-Musa expressed: “We commend the DSS for taking the matter to court to ascertain Isma’il’s guilt or innocence.
“Therefore, we call on our security agencies, especially the DSS, to look into AI’s activities in Nigeria, as there are valid concerns that they do not have Nigeria’s best interests at heart.
“When Nnamdi Kanu claimed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari had died and was replaced by a body double from Sudan, we condemned his actions.
“Look at where Kanu’s freedom of speech has led us. This is why we firmly denounce Ghali Isma’il’s recent posts and the backing he receives from Amnesty International.