Amnesty International has condemned the arrest of Fatima Muhammad Sa’idu, a TikToker, who was arrested for criticising now-late former President Muhammadu Buhari over massacre of members of Shiites under his watch.

In a statement on Saturday, Amnesty International called for her immediate release. 

“it is perfectly within her right to express critical opinions on past and present leaders of Nigeria — and on past and present events. Criticism is not a crime,” said the rights organisation.

“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Fatima Muhammad Sa’idu who was unlawfully arrested and detained yesterday by Nigeria Police Sabon Gari Zaria — for a social media post on the mass slaughter of IMN members by the military during the reign of Late President Muhammadu Buhari,” it said.

The rights rights added, “Increasingly, the human rights cost of expressing critical opinions on social media is creating a climate of fear suffocating Nigerian youth. Authorities have a national and international obligation, to respect and uphold the human rights of everyone.”

Mr Buhari, 82, died on July 13 in a London hospital.

The death of the former president generated reactions with some defining his legacy by the economic hardship, disregard for rule of law, human rights abuses and massacres that characterised his administration.