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President Muhammadu Buhari saw the arrest and prosecution Joachim
Iroko, a 41 year old trader arrested by the police in Ogun State for
naming his dog ‘Buhari,’ as “a ‘laughable incident”, his spokesman,
Garba Shehu, said late Thursday.
In a short reaction posted on his Twitter handle, Mr. Shehu said
those criticising Mr. Buhari for failing to act on the matter were
“ignorance of the type of person he is.”
“He enjoys cartoons and likes sharing them. The ones he enjoys the
most are those that caricature him,” Mr. Shehu said. “People should
listen to the real story behind this dog incident and to not waste
precious time seeking the hand of the President in a laughable
incident!”
Mr. Shehu’s comment was the first time the Buhari administration
would comment on the development, which has grabbed the headlines for
nearly two weeks and sparked debates about free speech.
It also came a few hours after Mr. Iroko was released from jail,
after spending three days behind bars while his family sought funds for
his bail bond.
The three days were in addition to the eight days Mr. Iroko spent in a police cell in Sango Otta, Ogun State.
Mr. Iroko was first arrested on August 14 by officers attached to the
Sango Otta Division after receiving complaints from a neighbour who
said the name he gave his dog was offensive.
Salihu Umar filed complaints against Mr. Iroko with the police,
alleging that the ‘Buhari’ name Mr. Iroko gave his dog was the same as
his father’s name.
Mr. Iroko was arrested by the police and detained before he was
finally charged with a one-count of attempted breach of public peace on
August 22.
Bolaji Ojikutu, the Chief Magistrate in charge of the case, granted
Mr. Iroko a N50,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty. He was transferred
to prisons after failing to immediately raise the funds.
Mr. Iroko met his bail conditions on Wednesday after receiving about
N90,000 through fundraising appeal coordinated by a human rights lawyer,
Inibehe Effiong.
He was released around noon on Thursday and he went straight to his residence in Sango-Otta.
Mr. Iroko’s case had continued to generate debates about free speech
under the current administration, with many Nigerians saying it was an
embarrassment of international magnitude.
The incident also received widespread coverage from the international media.
Eleanor Whitehead, Nigeria correspondent for the Economist, said the
development showed that Nigeria had become a “police state.”
Shortly after his release, Mr. Iroko said his arrest and confinement brought untold trauma on his family.
“The President must be having a good laugh over this whole thing,” Mr. Shehu said.
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PLEASE BE POLITE