Atiku Abubakar Demands Release of Detained Kaduna Cleric

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate release or prosecution of Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, a Kaduna-based cleric who has been detained without trial since December 2025. In a statement issued by Atiku's media office on Wednesday, he described the cleric's detention as a violation of fundamental rights.

Sheikh Khalifa is alleged to be involved in a coup plot, but no formal charges have been filed against him in court. Atiku raised serious constitutional and human rights concerns, particularly regarding a Federal High Court order that directed the cleric's presentation in court, which he claims has been ignored.

He emphasized that no security agency is above the constitution and warned that the continued detention without access to family, legal counsel, or adequate medical care constitutes a violation of constitutional rights. Sheikh Khalifa was arrested in Abuja, reportedly linked to a N2 million transfer to a military officer's account related to a purported coup plot against President Bola Tinubu's administration.