I was arrested for defending ordinary Nigerians harassed by Abuja police: Lawyer Abdul Mahmud
A lawyer, Abdul Mahmud, says he has been arrested by the Nigerian police for allegedly defending a citizen from being intimidated by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zara Mohammed, in Karu, Abuja, on Sunday.
Mr Mahmud, in a tweet on Tuesday, said Inspector of Police, Sola Olalekan, led a police team to arrest him from his home and he was being taken to Abacha Road Police Station in Mararaba.
“Police have taken the intimidation of citizens too far. Because I defended ordinary citizens intimidated by ACP Zara Muhammed on Sunday in Karu,” Mr Mahmud tweeted, “officers led by Insp Sola Olalekan have arrested me in my own home. Headed to the station at Abacha Road, Mararaba @policeng.”
Spokesperson for Nigerian police, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to calls from Peoples Gazette to get comments on Mr Mahmud’s arrest.
Mr Mahmud’s arrest comes less than a week after rights activist, Ayo Sogunro, was arrested from his hotel room in Abuja.
Mr Sogunro said Nigerian police arrested him because he met with a married woman in his hotel room.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
World
Russian strike on humanitarian centre killed at least 26 Ukrainians: Officials
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as “a vile terrorist strike”, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians receiving humanitarian assistance.
Economy
Continent’s financial leaders to meet at 2026 Africa Compliance Forum
Afreximbank said African banks operated under different legal systems and supervisory approaches, making regulatory cooperation crucial to reducing trade barriers.
Politics
2027 Elections: ‘We won’t go to court; matter will be settled on the streets,’ says ADC chief
“We are announcing to Tinubu and the APC that this time around, we will defend ourselves. We will not go to court; we will settle the matter on the streets,” said the ADC chief.
Faith
Sultan of Sokoto’s reign has reunited Christians, Muslims in Nigeria: Tinubu
Mr Tinubu described the sultan as “a moral authority, a bridge between faiths, a voice of moderation, and a steady counsellor to leaders across the country”.
Lagos
Lagos gives ISPs deadline to clean up network cables
LASIMRA warned that enforcement operations would begin on Monday, urging all concerned firms to complete the required work before the deadline to avoid sanctions.
Economy
Trump removes South Africa from AGOA citing corruption, national security concerns
The suspension would take effect on January 1, 2027, further complicating already strained relations between Washington and South Africa.
