Haruna Muhammad, known on the streets of Maiduguri as ‘ABALE BORNO’, had always chased greener pastures. His journey from his hometown to the bustling capital, Abuja, was a familiar blur of hope and hardship. For a long time, he sold apples on Abuja’s streets, dreaming of the day he could return home to his mother and family.
As the month of Ramadan approached, ’’ I travelled from Abuja to Maiduguri, my heart light with the thought of sharing Eid al-Fitr with my loved ones. The journey was long, but the anticipation of reunion kept my spirits high’’. Abale recounted with tears.
Back in Maiduguri, Abale slipped into his usual routine, posting short videos on TikTok. ‘’I voiced out my neighborhood’s frustrations over an unfinished road project and the dilapidated Wadiya Primary School in Gomari Kostin’’ Abale stated. Residents slogging through potholes and the school’s crumbling walls quickly garnered attention.
One morning, seeking a quieter spot to rest during the Ramadan fast, Abale spread his mat under a lone tree inside the school he earlier rose concerns about its dilapidated condition offers some respite to the neighborhood. As he lay there, three men approached—a Civilian Joint Task Force member and two policemen in traditional kaftans. “I felt relaxed even after seeing them, as I never thought the videos I made could trigger such a response from security,” Abale recounted.
While in Police Custody
Now in custody, ‘’I was skeptical and confused about my arrest. I was first taken to the G.R.A Police Station, where I was temporarily detained until the Commissioner of Police, now-retired Yusuf Muhammad Lawan, arrived and ordered my transfer to the CRACK Division’’ Abale stated. Crack division of the Nigeria Police is a unit specialized in tackling armed robbery, theft, and other capital offenses.
“While in custody, I was denied access to my phone. I begged the policeman at the counter to help inform my mother. He agreed but charged one thousand naira for a call that lasted less than a minute,” Abale recalled.
At the CRACK Division, “I was informed that my offense was criticizing the state government on TikTok, and I was arrested by ‘orders from above.’ There was no proper explanation. I was subjected to thorough interrogation by scores of policemen, all asking the same question over and over again: ‘Who is sponsoring you to attack the government?’ They took my phones, tripod, and microphone, searched them, but found nothing. The disappointment on their faces was visible,” he stated.
Abale recalled being treated like a criminal for expressing his community’s frustrations. “A policeman threatened my mother, telling her I was a criminal who would be jailed for no less than 20 years.” He was held for six days, despite laws requiring an accused person to be charged in court within 24 hours, or 48 hours if no court is within proximity as stipulated by section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Abale had not engaged legal services initially, however a human rights lawyer, Hamza Nuhu Dantani, came for me. He was god-sent.” Abale Stated
The Court Case
Abale was charged at Magistrate Court Number 2, popularly known as ‘Koton Madam,’ in Maiduguri. However, the court was in recess, and the case was referred to another magistrate. “The court found no significant reason for my arbitrary detention, and I was released,” Abale said.
Legal Struggle
After his bail was granted, Abale returned to Abuja to recover from the losses and expenses caused by his detention. However, the case was continuously adjourned. “I travelled from Abuja to Maiduguri three times to seek justice and retrieve my gadgets—two phones, pods, and a microphone—but to no avail. There was no conviction, no acquittal. The case was swept under the carpet,” he lamented.
Violations Continued
Suleiman Usman, 26, known as Sultan, was arrested and detained for three days simply for disagreeing with a public office holder on Facebook. “Even after promising my lawyer I would be released within 24 hours, I spent three days in the cell,” Sultan recounted.
He was arrested after criticizing the Executive Secretary of Borno State Geographic and Information Service on Facebook. “The complainant insisted it amounted to criminal defamation, even though there was no proof. My words were harmless,” Sultan stated. After three days in the CRACK Division, he was released unconditionally.
Similarly, Alhassan Musa, 40, a father of nine, was arrested and detained for five weeks on the orders of Governor Babagana Zulum. “I was carrying passengers near the newly built flyover bridge in Bolori Store when a white Hilux vehicle drove into our way. It was Governor Zulum. He immediately ordered the police to arrest me,” Alhassan stated.
Detained at the CRACK Division for what was clearly a civil matter, Alhassan was repeatedly refused bail. Without formal charges, and only after his lawyer’s intervention, he paid N100,000 to the Borno State Traffic Maintenance Agency (BOTMA) for a traffic violation. “Five weeks of detention went under the carpet, unexplained,” he said.
Amnesty International Nigeria
In August 2025, Amnesty International Nigeria raised concerns over allegations of human rights violations by the Borno State government. “Borno, based on our initial findings, is increasingly becoming a bastion of repression, abuse of office, and unlawful attacks on the right of the people to disagree with those in power. People have the right to agree and disagree with those in power,” the statement read.
It further attested, “People who criticize the governor are being arbitrarily arrested and detained for months or more, without trial or access to a lawyer or family. A detention centre run by the police has now become a den of unlawful detention and ill-treatment. Some are even refused bail in utter disregard for due process.”
The statement necessitated by the sentencing of five young people to five years imprisonment for organizing and participating in an #EndBadGovernance protest. Efforts to locate them proved abortive, but a relative of one of the sentenced individuals, who chose to remain anonymous, confirmed ‘’they are still in Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Centre’’ .
Similarly, Ibrahim Muhammad of the National Human Rights Commission in Maiduguri acknowledged awareness of such claims but clarified the commission’s role. “We must receive a formal complaint, either in person or through other means of communication, before we can act. We have established protocols, and no violation has been officially reported to us,” he stated.
The Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahun Kenneth Daso, declined to comment, insisting on a physical meeting. However, he neither picked up calls nor replied to messages at the appointed time.
What the Law Says
According to lawyer Barr. Alkali Adamu Askira, “No individual, whether a governor or anyone acting under his authority, has the power to arrest and detain any person beyond the constitutionally permitted period of 24 hours, or at most 48 hours where applicable, without either granting bail or arraigning the person before a court of competent jurisdiction.” He further clarified, “Any directive or action that results in unnecessary arrest or prolonged detention outside these legal limits constitutes a gross abuse of power and an act of lawlessness.”
Barr. Askira noted that the remedy is to file fundamental human rights enforcement suits. “Otherwise, we will have rights we cannot enforce,” he stated.
Commenting on Abale and Sultan’s detention, human rights lawyer Barr. Hamza Nuhu Dantani said, “Abale and Sultan’s cases exemplify the endemic abuse of power, suppression, and denial of access to justice by people in authority.” He advised, “Security agencies should respect the rights to freedom of expression,” and urged public office holders to “refrain from using their office to oppress citizens.
