The family of 21-year-old Ahmad Yusuf Muhammad, who was arrested in Kano for allegedly producing Russian flags, claims he does not know how to operate a sewing machine.
Ahmad, along with other tailors, was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for supposedly mass-producing Russian flags that were displayed by protesters during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.
In a statement to Daily Trust, Ahmad’s brother, Nasiru Yusuf Muhammad, asserted that Ahmad has never worked as a tailor and has never used a sewing machine.
“He is my biological brother, he was arrested because they said he was the one sewing the Russian flag. I want to clarify that he was never a tailor, he had never been and doesn’t even know how to handle a sewing machine,” Nasiru said.
“He just became a victim because he was never arrested by any security operative, we (the family) are suspecting because of trauma or being frightened he has said something that implicates himself.
“He is a used water sachet recycling dealer, we are all into it, and he directly works under me, that’s our business. He was never a tailor. Even the sewing machine that was said to be his was not his own and was not picked in our house. It was in a neighbour’s house and the owner has since run away. The flag was not even in his custody. Ahmad had not participated in protest and did not raise any flag. We had cautioned him and he listened.”
Nasiru, therefore, called on the security agencies and concerned authorities to investigate the case carefully and do justice to everyone.
“We are appealing to the concerned authorities to please look critically into this issue and release him. He was not a tailor and has not committed the offense he is being held for,” he added.
