Human rights activist Olamide Abiodun Thomas has been left in detention for 12 days, including Christmas Day, since the police arrested her in Lagos State and moved her to Abuja for “cursing” fellow citizens.
She was arrested for hurling ‘direct curses’ at Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, as well as Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and Muyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Following her arrest on the orders of the IGP on December 13, she was transferred to the force headquarters in Abuja.
She was arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja one week later and remanded at the Suleja Custodial Centre.
READ MORE: CONFIRMED: IGP Ordered Rights Activist Abiodun Thomas’ Arrest, Detention Because She ‘Cursed’ Seyi Tinubu
Olamide Abiodun Thomas in court.
The court refused her lawyers’ oral application for bail and adjourned the case until December 30. This means the rights activist is spending Christmas in detention, away from family and friends.
READ MORE: Abiodun Thomas, Rights Activist Detained on IGP’s Orders, Faints in Police Custody
“She is still in Suleja prison, but we are making efforts to see if we can have a bail hearing before then,” a source told FIJ on Wednesday.
Thomas’ prolonged detention has spurred different reactions on social media, with many wondering how raining curses could constitute a criminal offence.
According to a court document earlier obtained by FIJ, she is being charged because of video recordings shared on her social media platforms where she cursed Seyi Tinubu, Egbetokun and Adejobi.
While some have opined that it was unjust to prosecute her for channelling her frustrations at police brutality via curses, some see the arrest as an avenue to cuff freedom of speech and activism. Others, however, feel there is a need to curb what is deemed ‘harmful’ online behaviour.
The post Rights Activist Abiodun Thomas Spends 12th Day, Christmas in Detention ‘for Cursing’ Tinubu’s Son appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.