Atiku Sends Message to Authorities as Cleric Detained Over Alleged Link to Coup Plot Against Tinubu
- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate release of Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir Zaria Khalifa, citing a violation of fundamental rights
- Sheikh Khalifa was detained over an alleged coup plot targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration, prompting controversy in Nigeria
- Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, warned of threats to democracy from security agencies' actions against citizens
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Former Vice President and leading figure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate release of Kaduna-based cleric, Sheikh Sani Khalifa.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 25, Atiku described Sheikh Khalifa's 'continued detention without trial' as a grave violation of his fundamental rights.
Source: Twitter
Legit.ng recalls that Sheikh Khalifa is held in detention over his alleged link to an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
Read also
Peter Obi raises alarm, says Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Umar arrested after hosting him in Kaduna
According to Premium Times in January, multiple sources familiar with the case told reporters that Khalifa was detained by security agents in Abuja in December 2025, shortly after travelling from Zaria to address an unexplained freeze on his bank account.
Per family members and associates, Khalifa’s ordeal began when his bank account was suddenly closed without written notice.
Efforts to resolve the issue at the Zaria branch reportedly failed, with bank officials directing him to the institution’s headquarters in Abuja. It was after his arrival in the capital, sources said, that security operatives took him into custody.
The religious leader's detention, according to persons briefed on the interrogation, is linked to a N2 million transfer sent to his account by one of the suspected coup plotters.
Atiku fumes over Sheikh Khalifa's detention
Reacting to Sheikh Khalifa's detainment, Atiku, via a statement signed by his media office, alleged that even 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 judicial authority and the rule of law.
The statement read:
“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."
Furthermore, the presidential hopeful asserted that the continued detention of Sheikh Khalifa, reportedly 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.
Atiku demands Khalifa's release or prosecution
The ex-Vice President also expressed concern over growing public speculation surrounding the cleric’s condition, noting that the silence of the authorities has only deepened mistrust and uncertainty.
He stated:
“Nigeria cannot continue to claim the status of a democracy while the rights of its citizens are routinely and brazenly violated."
Read also
Breaking: Peter Obi releases important message as El-Rufai spends over 30 days in detention
Source: Twitter
The ADC chieftain, therefore, called on the relevant security agencies to either release Sheikh Khalifa immediately or charge him before a competent court without further delay, insisting that anything short of this constitutes unlawful detention and an abuse of power.
The full statement can be read in full below via X:
Coup: Nollywood actor arrested
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Nollywood filmmaker and actor Amandi was arrested alongside several military officers accused of plotting a violent overthrow of President Tinubu’s administration.
Security operatives arrested the actor in September 2025.
Source: Legit.ng
