Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant on New Media to President Muhammadu Buhari has been severely criticised for promising one of his followers on Twitter that he'll use his influence to upturn Yunusa Dahiru’s court conviction.
On Thursday, May 21, 2020, the Federal High Court sitting in Bayelsa state sentenced Dahiru to 26 years imprisonment for child trafficking and sexual exploitation of a teenager, Ese Oruru.
Dahiru also known as Yellow was reported to have abducted Ese from Bayelsa to Kano, where he allegedly married and impregnated the teenager.
Almost five years after, the court sentenced him to 26 years imprisonment after finding him guilty of child trafficking, illicit sex, sexual exploitation and unlawful carnal knowledge of Ese, who was 13 at the time.
But some people believe the case was manipulated. One of such people reached out to Bashir Ahmad on Twitter asking him ‘do something about it’ adding that Yunusa was wrongly accused. Replying to the request in the Hausa Language, Bashir said,
“My brother, I do not have the power to do anything against the judgment of the court, but I will try to contact those whom I think are capable.”
The presidential aide has, however, come under fire on Twitter for considering a plan to influence the court’s judgement.
Shortly after his controversial reply became a topic on social media, he tweeted again, saying he didn’t understand the details of the case before he commented on it. He said,
“I commented on the Yunusa Yellow saga earlier, without knowing and understanding the details of the case. Eloping or rather, kidnapping a minor and forcing her to marry you shouldn’t be taken lightly. A condemnable act!”
