According to court records viewed by AFP, Aminu Adamu, a 1998-year-old student at the Federal University of Dutse in northern Nigeria, was detained on November 18 and transferred to Abuja five months after posting the message in which he made comments about the First Lady Aisha Buhari's appearance and criticised her for "eating the money of the poor."
According to a source in the legal system, the president's wife submitted a complaint before his detention, which Amnesty International harshly criticised.
On Tuesday, the young man “was hauled before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate’s Court,” his lawyer Chijioke Agu told AFP by phone. He said, “The charge is defamation.”
Mr Adamu may spend up to two years in prison if found guilty under Nigerian law.
Agu claimed he had requested bail for his client, who is being held in Suleja jail to the northwest of Abuja, and that the hearing had been postponed until January 30.
AFP has seen court records that state the student agreed to posting the offensive tweet, which featured a photo of Mrs Buhari and a statement written in Hausa, the language most often used in northern Nigeria.
According to a statement released by Amnesty International on Sunday, Adamu’s family and relatives alleged he has been beaten, tortured, and otherwise mistreated.
An “illegal arrest” was also condemned by Amnesty, which demanded his “immediate and unconditional release.”
A foremost Nigerian student group (NANS) called for a statewide demonstration on Monday in favour of Mr Adamu. NANS said, “Our demonstrations must continue until his unconditional release.”