Amnesty warns about rising arrests and crackdown in Borno

Amnesty International has raised concerns about growing political repression in Borno State. They say authorities are using arrests and charges to silence people who speak out in the northeast.

The rights group posted on X on Sunday. They said 11 young men have been in Maiduguri Maximum Prison since 28 August on what they call politically motivated allegations.

The men appeared in 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 known as Warrata, Na Hannun Gomna, Yambo, and One Five.

According to the First Information Report mentioned by Amnesty, the men were charged for actions like interrupting, shouting at, and embarrassing government officials during a speech. Amnesty believes these charges are politically motivated and that the authorities are misusing the criminal justice system to silence peaceful voices.

“These strange charges and the actions that followed show political repression and abuse of power,” the organization stated. They said the arrests and detentions raise serious issues about the men’s rights to personal liberty, a fair trial, freedom of expression, and peaceful protest.

These claims come at a time when there is rising tension over the arrest and trial of opposition supporters in Maiduguri. On 25 September, police arrested five men wearing T-shirts that said “Tinubu Must Go” near the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.

The men are Baba Gremami, Mustapha Yemen, Abacha Ali, Adam Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed. They face charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbing public peace, and thuggery. According to the charges seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the police say the men planned to print the T-shirts to disrupt public peace.

The Borno State Police Command later explained that officers arrested the men during a routine patrol. They said the men had 15 wraps of dried leaves believed to be cannabis, 100 tablets thought to be D5, a shisha pot, and a pair of scissors. They also recovered two T-shirts with the “Tinubu Must Go” message.

The police insisted that the arrests were not about the men’s political beliefs and that the courts would handle the allegations. Governor Babagana Zulum has also said he did not order the arrest of opposition supporters.

Amnesty believes the recent arrests show a troubling trend in Borno. They called on the state government to respect the rights to free speech and assembly and to follow the law. The organization added that how governments treat critical voices shows their commitment to human rights.

“The rising crackdown on peaceful protest in Borno State is worrying,” Amnesty said.