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The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned a Kaduna man, Mubarak Abdullahi, over an alleged fake letter purportedly written by President Bola Tinubu to the President of the United States.
Abdullahi, also known as Sardaunan Samari, is facing a three-count charge bordering on cybercrime and defamation, according to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday night, stating that the suspect was arrested on September 28 for allegedly sharing the document on his Facebook page with the caption, “ATIKU IS COMING.”
He said Abdullahi had been arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court No. 10, Kabala Doki, Kaduna, while the DSS had filed a three-count charge against him at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
According to Onanuga, the suspect admitted during investigations that he shared the document and apologised for his action. However, the apology did not prevent the agency from pursuing the case.
He added that the court ordered Abdullahi’s remand at the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Kaduna.
Onanuga also maintained that the DSS would continue to identify individuals involved in circulating what the government considers misleading information online.
However, the development has drawn criticism from human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who accused the DSS of being used to suppress dissent.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Sowore condemned the arrest, questioning why a national security agency was involved in a case concerning a social media post.
He accused the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using state institutions to silence critics rather than allowing citizens to express themselves freely.
“Arresting a hapless citizen for posting a document online sad!” Sowore wrote, warning that those responsible would eventually be held accountable for their actions.
As of the time of filing this report, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, had not publicly commented on the development.
