By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar, Katsina Times

A lawyer, Barrister Abba Hikima, has called on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to urgently intervene in the case of Maryam Isah Shehu, a final-year student of Bayero University Kano (BUK), who has spent 35 days in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Hikima made the call in a statement on Thursday, describing the EFCC’s handling of the case as a matter that raises concerns about the abuse of power and the protection of citizens’ rights.

According to him, the EFCC filed a one-count charge against Shehu barely 24 hours after concerns were raised publicly over her prolonged detention.

He said the development meant that the commission took 35 days to file a single-count charge allegedly arising from a social media publication, despite repeatedly refusing to grant the student bail.

Hikima said Shehu was arrested after allegedly raising an alarm over a corruption allegation involving an EFCC Zonal Director.

He questioned whether the allegation against the EFCC official had been independently investigated and whether the outcome of any such investigation had been made public.

“From all available information, the accuser was arrested and detained, while the substance of the allegation itself appears to have been set aside without transparent inquiry,” he said.

The lawyer also criticised the charge against Shehu, in which the EFCC allegedly accused her of intending to tarnish the reputation of the commission.

He argued that the prolonged detention of a citizen without bail could itself raise questions about the reputation and conduct of a law enforcement agency.

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Hikima further alleged that Shehu was served with the charge on the eve of her arraignment, arguing that this left her legal team with insufficient time to prepare for the proceedings and properly present her bail application.

He said the EFCC should not rely on procedural timelines created by its own actions to oppose an urgent bail application after detaining the student for more than a month.

“A charge filed after 35 days cannot retrospectively legalise or justify the prolonged detention that preceded it,” he said.

Hikima urged the AGF, as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, to review the matter and ensure that the rights of the accused are protected.

He also warned that the handling of the case could have implications for Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, noting that the country is a signatory to several international human rights instruments.

He called for Shehu to be granted bail and urged that the allegation against the EFCC official be independently and transparently investigated.

“The law must protect the accuser as much as it investigates the accusation,” Hikima said.

#FreeMaryamShehu