Atiku calls for release or prosecution of Sheikh Sani Khalifa...

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate release or prosecution of Kaduna-based cleric, Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, describing his continued detention without trial as a violation of fundamental rights.

In a press statement, Atiku, a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed concern that the cleric has reportedly been held since December 2025 over alleged involvement in a coup plot without being formally charged in court.

He noted that the prolonged detention raises serious constitutional and human rights concerns, especially as a subsisting order of the Federal High Court directing that the cleric be presented in court has allegedly been ignored.

“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 read.

CBI News reports that Atiku further warned that detaining Sheikh Khalifa without access to his family, legal counsel, and adequate medical care amounts to a gross violation of his constitutional rights.

He cautioned that allowing such actions by security agencies could undermine Nigeria’s democratic system and erode the rights guaranteed to citizens.

The former vice president also expressed concern over growing public speculation about the cleric’s condition, noting that the silence from authorities has heightened 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.

He urged relevant authorities to either release Sheikh Sani Khalifa immediately or charge him before a competent court without delay, insisting that anything short of this amounts to unlawful detention and abuse of power.