Amnesty raises alarm over arrests, alleged crackdown on dissent in Borno

Amnesty International has said there is escalating political repression in Borno State, alleging that authorities are using arrests and criminal charges to silence dissent in the northeastern state.

The rights group, in a post on X on Sunday, said 11 young men had been held at Maiduguri Maximum Prison since 28 August over allegations it described as politically motivated.

The men were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Wulari, Maiduguri, on 8 September.

They are Umar Mohammed, Yahaya Mohammed, Mohammed Ali, Abubakar Dauda, Hussaini Umar, Yunusa Salaima, Sulaiman Mohammed, Liti Adamu, Idris Yusuf, another Mohammed Ali, and a person identified as Warrata, Na Hannun Gomna, Yambo and One Five.

According to the First Information Report cited by Amnesty, the men were charged over conduct that allegedly included interrupting, shouting at and embarrassing government officials while they were delivering a speech.

Amnesty said the charges appeared to be politically motivated and accused the authorities of using the criminal justice system to suppress peaceful dissent.

“These bizarre charges and actions that followed have all the elements of political repression and abuse of power,” the organisation said.

It said the arrests and detention raised concerns over the men’s rights to personal liberty, presumption of innocence, fair hearing, freedom of expression and peaceful dissent.

‘Tinubu Must Go’ arrests

The allegations come amid growing controversy over the arrest and prosecution of opposition supporters in Maiduguri.

On 25 September, police arrested five men wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.

The men, identified as Baba Gremami, Mustapha Yemen, Abacha Ali, Adam Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.

According to the charges seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the police alleged that the men conspired to print the T-shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace.

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The Borno State Police Command later said officers arrested the men during a routine patrol and found them with items including 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot and a pair of scissors. It also said two of the T-shirts bearing the “Tinubu Must Go” inscription were recovered.

The police maintained that the arrests were not based on the men’s political views and said the courts should determine the allegations against them.

Governor Babagana Zulum has also distanced himself from the arrests, saying he did not order the detention of opposition supporters.

Amnesty said the recent arrests reflected a worrying pattern in Borno.

It urged the state government to respect freedom of expression and association and uphold the rule of law.

The organisation said governments’ treatment of critical voices was an important measure of their commitment to human rights.

“The increasing clampdown on peaceful dissent in Borno State is disturbing,” Amnesty said.