The National Union of Bauchi State Students (NUBASS) has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to release Comrade Aminu Harsanu Guyaba, the President of the Bauchi State University Students’ Union Government, Gadau Branch, who was arrested by the police over a Facebook post.
Guyaba, SaharaReporters gathered, was arrested after he accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant of enriching himself and his family.
“We will explain to people how Bauchi State Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed enriches himself and his children while he left Bauchi citizens in abject poverty,” he had written on Facebook.
SaharaReporters learnt that the student leader was arrested by security operatives acting on the governor’s command last week.
He was subsequently arraigned without a lawyer to represent him at the Bauchi Magistrate Court II after he was forced to delete the Facebook post by the police.
The presiding judge had ordered him to be taken to prison and adjourned the matter to June 14, 2022, for the continuation of the hearing.
In a statement on Friday, jointly signed by Comrade Sanni Adamu, National President of the Association of Northern Nigerian Students (ANNS); Ismail Haruna, NANS President Bauchi and Dahir Sarius, President of National Association of Nigerian Comrade (NANC), the students expressed their anger over the arrest of the student leader.
They issued a 48-hour ultimatum for his release saying otherwise, they will mobilise thousands of Nigerian students to shut down all major roads in the state.
They also threatened to pass a vote of no confidence on the presidential aspiration of Mohammed (Kauran Bauchi) in the 2023 presidential election.
However, the students noted that they are open to a dialogue.
Their statement reads, “Solidarity greetings from the National Union of Bauch) State Student (NUBASS) Local Branch Representatives Assembly (LBRA), Association of Northern Nigerian Students (ANNS), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Bauchi South Students Association (BASSA), Bauchi Central Students Association (BACSA), National Association of University Students (NAUS), National Association of Nigerian Comrades (NANC) with the collaboration of many youth organisations across the state.
“With humongous dismay and grievances in our heart, as student union leaders we take it as a moment of democracy, politics of purpose and the development of national interest towards expression and freedom of speech to all citizens.
“The Nigerian students have the highest respect for Bauchi state project but unfortunately someone like His Excellency, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (Kauran Bauchi) who happened to be one of the hopeful presidential aspirants in the 2023 general election cannot withstand simple criticism from Comrade Aminu Harsanu Guyaba.
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“Our demand and resolution of the combined meeting tagged: Free Comrade Aminu Harsanu Guyaba. Our demand: Free Comrade Aminu Guyaba before the collapse of our 48 hours ultimatum.
“Bauchi State Government should apologise to Nigerian students for detaining students’ union leader for personal interest
“Government should release him unconditional and respect his freedom of speech.
“Our resolution: We will mobilise thousands of Nigerian students to shut down all Bauchi State major roads.
“We will relocate our entire secretariat to Government House road. We will pass a vote of no confidence on the presidential aspiration of Sen. Bala A. Mohammed (Kauran Bauchi) in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
“The association is ready for any dialogue that will bring peace towards this matter and also the student union leaders are law-abiding citizens.”
