By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported arrest and detention of three youths in Shani Local Government Area of Borno State over a Facebook publication concerning the council’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) receipts.
The affected youths, identified as Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed and Muhammed Mallum, were reportedly arrested after sharing information indicating that Shani Local Government received about N3.11 billion in FAAC allocations between January and June 2026.
HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, described the alleged arrest as a disturbing assault on the constitutional right of citizens to freedom of expression and their right to demand accountability from public institutions.
The rights group demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the three youths if their detention was solely connected to the Facebook publication, while also demanding N100 million compensation for the alleged violation of their fundamental rights.
HURIWA gave the Inspector-General of Police a 2pm deadline on Saturday to take decisive steps towards securing the youths’ release and addressing what it described as a possible abuse of police powers.
The group warned the Nigeria Police Force against becoming an instrument for intimidating citizens who question the management of public resources.
According to HURIWA, public officials, including local government chairmen, are custodians of public resources and should be prepared to respond to legitimate scrutiny with facts rather than resorting to the arrest of citizens.
“If the figures published by the youths are inaccurate, the appropriate response is to provide the correct figures and publicly explain the discrepancy — not arrest the messenger,” the group said.
HURIWA said available FAAC figures cited by the association showed that Shani Local Government received a cumulative N3,110,132,578.97 between January and June 2026.
It listed the reported monthly allocations as N514.80 million in January, N533.46 million in February, N474.92 million in March, N496.11 million in April, N551.90 million in May and N538.95 million in June.
The association said the figures included statutory allocations, Value Added Tax, augmentation, ecology funds, Electronic Money Transfer Levy and other applicable components.
It therefore challenged the relevant authorities to publicly establish which aspect of the information published by the youths was allegedly false or criminal.
HURIWA maintained that public funds belonged to the people and that citizens had a legitimate right to ask how much their local governments received and how the funds were utilised.
The group also expressed concern over reports that the youths were allegedly threatened with transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department or the Department of State Services in Maiduguri.
“If established, such threats would represent an alarming attempt to escalate what appears to be a matter that could be addressed through simple clarification of public records,” HURIWA said.
It warned that the use of security agencies to settle political, administrative or personal disagreements with citizens was unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.
The group called on the Inspector-General of Police to order an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of the three youths and direct the Borno State Police Command to publicly clarify the legal basis, if any, for their arrest.
HURIWA also urged the police authorities to ensure that no police officer or public official uses state power to intimidate citizens exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights.
The association further called on the Borno State Government, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to intervene in defence of the affected youths.
It stressed that the Shani incident went beyond the fate of the three individuals, arguing that it raised a fundamental question about whether Nigerians could freely discuss public revenue, government allocations and accountability without fear of arrest.
“A democracy cannot survive when citizens are expected to remain silent while public institutions operate without scrutiny,” HURIWA said.
The association said it would continue to monitor the situation and pursue all lawful avenues necessary to protect the fundamental rights of the affected youths.
It urged the police hierarchy to act and demonstrate that the Nigeria Police Force remained committed to protecting citizens and upholding the Constitution rather than suppressing legitimate public discourse.
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