The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned a Kaduna man, Mubarak Abdullahi, also known as Sardaunan Samari, over the alleged circulation of a fake letter purportedly written by President Bola Tinubu to the United States president, Donald Trump.
Abdullahi faces a three-count charge bordering on cybercrime and defamation.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday.
According to Onanuga, the suspect was arrested on September 28 after allegedly sharing the document on his Facebook page with the caption, “ATIKU IS COMING.”
He said Abdullahi admitted to investigators that he shared the document and apologised for his actions.
Onanuga added that the suspect was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court No. 10, Kabala Doki, Kaduna, which ordered his remand at the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Kaduna.
He further disclosed that the DSS had filed a three-count charge against Abdullahi at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
Onanuga said the agency would continue to identify individuals involved in circulating what he described as misleading information online.
However, human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, criticised the arrest, accusing the DSS of being used to suppress dissent.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Sowore questioned the agency’s involvement in the case and described the arrest as an attempt to silence a citizen over an online post.
“How low will you go, #OfficialAPCNg and the #officialABAT regime?” Sowore wrote, accusing the government of deploying a national security agency to suppress opposing voices.
He also condemned the arrest, insisting that citizens should not be subjected to such treatment for posting documents online.
As of the time of filing this report, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, had not publicly commented on the development.