Arewa youths petition IGP: Release nursing mother, baby held without trial

DDM News

The Arewa Youth Ambassadors (AYA) have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the continued detention of a nursing mother, Mrs. Jamila Ibrahim, and her baby girl at the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the woman and her child have been in detention since March 28, 2025, without arraignment or trial, a situation the group describes as a gross violation of human rights.

The statement released on August 4, 2025, and signed by AYA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Yahaya M. Abdullahi, expressed “deep concern and moral outrage” at what it called an “unlawful arrest” and “inhumane detention.”

According to the group, Mrs. Ibrahim, a tailor, was arrested arbitrarily during a security raid at Wuse Market, Abuja.

At the time, she was reportedly shopping for sewing materials while carrying her one-month-old baby during the Sallah holiday period.

AYA stated that the arrest followed a peaceful procession allegedly linked to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as the Shiites movement.

The group noted that Mrs. Ibrahim was not a member of the IMN, yet was “swept up in the chaos” as security forces responded with force, including the use of live ammunition.

Months after the incident, both mother and child remain behind bars at Suleja Prison, with no formal charges filed and no court appearance.

According to AYA, the situation has now turned critical, as reports indicate that the baby is severely malnourished and in urgent need of medical attention.

The group also alleged that the child’s father, Mr. Musbau Soliu, has faced extortion by law enforcement officers, who reportedly demanded ₦250,000 under false promises of securing the woman’s release.

The Arewa Youth Ambassadors described the situation as “an egregious abuse of constitutional rights” protected under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution, as well as international instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mrs. Ibrahim and her baby, and disciplinary action against all officers involved in the arrest, illegal detention, and extortion of the family.

AYA further called for an independent investigation and urgent medical and psychological care for both mother and child.

The group is also asking the Nigeria Police Force to issue a public apology to the victim and her family.

Beyond this specific case, the group called for a review of all detentions related to the March 2025 protest, which reportedly saw dozens arrested, many of them women and children.

They condemned the security crackdown as unconstitutional, inhumane, and indicative of a rising pattern of authoritarian policing.

“Justice has not only been delayed,” the AYA concluded, “it has been abused, perverted, and silenced.”

They warned that such disregard for human rights poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and would not go unchallenged.

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