BREAKING: Nigeria Police Grant Bail To Female NYSC Member Detained For Alleged Cyberstalking After 'Forced' Apology
A human rights lawyer, Barrister Ikechukwu Obasi, told SaharaReporters on Friday that Ms. Mohammed was granted administrative bail after being coerced into tendering an apology to the nominal complainant, one Mr. Mohammed Faruk, who filed a petition against her, which led to her arrest.
The Nigeria Police Force has granted administrative bail to a female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ms. Rashida Mohammed, who was arrested in Abuja on Tuesday and later transferred to Kaduna State over alleged defamation.
A human rights lawyer, Barrister Ikechukwu Obasi, told SaharaReporters on Friday that Ms. Mohammed was granted administrative bail after being coerced into tendering an apology to the nominal complainant, one Mr. Mohammed Faruk, who filed a petition against her, which led to her arrest.
SaharaReporters on Tuesday, February 17, reported that Obasi raised the alarm that Mohammed was arrested in Abuja and taken to an unknown location.
Obasi told SaharaReporters that Mohammed, who is serving in Abuja, was arrested at the behest of Faruk over alleged defamation of character.
The lawyer expressed concern over what he described as the unlawful arrest and secret detention of the young corps member by police operatives.
https://saharareporters.com/2026/02/18/nysc-member-arrested-police-over-alleged-defamation-abuja-secretly-transferred-kaduna
In an update published by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Obasi disclosed that the corps member was arrested at the NYSC Secretariat in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where she is serving, before being transferred out of the Federal Capital Territory to Kaduna State.
On Friday, Obasi dismissed Mohammed’s apology as unacceptable, claiming it was extracted under coercion.
He further criticised the conduct of the police, accusing the Force of acting beyond its constitutional mandate.
“The police are not courts of law and should not assume the role of adjudicating matters or compelling apologies from suspects,” he stated, adding that such actions undermine the constitutional presumption of innocence.
Citing Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Obasi said that Ms. Mohammed’s fundamental right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty has been compromised.
He also referenced the Supreme Court decision in James Ibori v. FRN, noting that arresting a suspect in Abuja and transferring them to Kaduna State could amount to a violation of the rule against forum shopping.
Obasi maintained that the police are constitutionally obligated to ensure justice is served impartially and not to act in favor of a complainant.
He described the alleged actions as unprofessional and called on well-meaning Nigerians to condemn such practices.
The lawyer also urged the National Human Rights Commission, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, and prominent human rights advocates, including Omoyele Sowore, to intervene in the matter to ensure that due process is followed and justice is upheld.
Discussion (0)