A former Nigerian vice president and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate release of Kaduna-based cleric, Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, from detention.
In a signed statement made available to Blueprint by his media office in Abuja, the Wazirin Adamawa said the continued detention of Sheikh Sani without trial was a grave violation of his fundamental rights.
He said Khalifa had reportedly been held since December 2025 over allegations of involvement in a coup plot and has not been formally charged before any court of law.
Atiku decried his prolonged detention without due process, saying it raises serious constitutional and human rights concerns.
He further expressed dismay that a subsisting order of the Federal High Court directing that the cleric be presented in court has been ignored, an action he described as a direct affront to the rule of law and judicial authority.
“There can be no democracy without strict adherence to the rule of law. No security agency is above the constitution, and none has the power to treat the rights of citizens as privileges to be dispensed with at will,” the statement reads.
He further warned that the continued detention of Sheikh Khalifa without access to his family, legal counsel, and adequate medical care amounts to a gross violation of his constitutional rights.
Atiku cautioned that normalising such conduct by security agencies poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundations and risks eroding the fundamental rights guaranteed to all citizens.
He also expressed concern over growing public speculation surrounding the cleric’s condition, noting that the silence of the authorities has only deepened uncertainty and mistrust.
“Nigeria cannot continue to claim the status of a democracy while the rights of its citizens are routinely and brazenly violated,” he stated.