Atiku demands release of detained critic amid crackdown fears

By: Abudu Olalekan

Atiku Abubakar slams Tinubu’s admin for arresting critic Abubakar Salim Musa, warns of growing repression ahead of elections. “This is not democracy!”

So. Atiku just dropped a statement. Sharp. Direct. No fluff.

And honestly? It’s hard to ignore.

Abubakar Salim Musa—@AM_Saleeeem on X—is sitting in Keffi Prison. Arrested January 11, 2026. No fanfare. Just… gone. Amnesty International flagged it Sunday: arbitrary. Bogus charges. Sham trial in the works.

Atiku reacted Monday. Fast.

He didn’t tiptoe. Called it what it is: repression. A pattern, he said. Not a one-off. Not “mistaken identity.” A system.

Musa’s crime? Criticising the government. Specifically—security collapse in the North. You know, the part where bandits roam freely, villages burn, and families vanish overnight? Yeah. That. He talked about it. Loudly. Online.

Turns out, that’s dangerous now.

Atiku’s post—verified, no edits—hit hard: “Yet another disturbing example of the Tinubu administration baring its fangs against dissent.”

Fangs. Not “policy missteps.” Not “regrettable incidents.” Fangs.

He’s not alone in seeing it. Amnesty’s statement laid it bare: young Nigerians—journalists, NYSC corps members, even schoolchildren—getting hauled in, threatened, roughed up… just for typing truths into their phones. Salim didn’t throw a stone. Didn’t block a road. Just spoke. And now? Prison. Indomie cartons probably untouched in his cell.

Atiku’s tone shifted—part elder statesman, part fed-up uncle:

“This dangerous trend undermines the very foundations of democracy…”

Foundations. Not “challenges.” Foundations. Like, the floor’s cracking.

And yeah—he tied it to 2027. Smart. Because let’s be real: how do you campaign when your phone pings with a DSS warning instead of a voter survey? How do opposition voices breathe when every tweet feels like walking a tightrope over jail cells?

“Neither the people nor the opposition can operate effectively,” he warned, “in an atmosphere of fear and repression.”

Oof.

He didn’t stop there. Called for immediate, unconditional release—not just Salim, but all locked up for “exercising constitutional rights.” (Funny how that phrase keeps needing repeating, huh?)

Then—the kicker—he asked the world to step in. “Countries and organisations that claim to stand for democracy…” Hold them accountable. Not “please consider.” Hold. Strong verb. Intentional.

You can almost hear the sigh in his closing line:

“I encourage fellow patriots… to join this demand and stand firmly against any further erosion of our freedoms.”

Erosion. Like the sea eating the shore. Slow. Relentless. Almost normal—until there’s nothing left.

Thing is—Salim’s case feels familiar. Too familiar. Remember the student arrested for a meme? The journalist detained after a live report? The musician whose concert got “postponed” after a lyric? It’s stacking up. Piling high.

Atiku’s not just defending one man. He’s sounding an alarm.

And maybe—just maybe—it’s not about politics. Not really. It’s about whether a 22-year-old in Kano can tweet “Why is my village burning?” without checking over his shoulder. Whether a mother in Kaduna can ask “Where are the police?” without her son getting a midnight knock.

Freedom of expression isn’t a luxury. It’s the oxygen of democracy. And right now? Feels like someone’s slowly turning the valve.

Reportersroom reached out to the Ministry of Information for comment. No reply yet. (Surprise.)

But here’s the thing Atiku didn’t say—but maybe didn’t need to:
Silence isn’t peace.
It’s surrender.

And Nigerians? We’ve surrendered enough.