Amnesty International has condemned the arrest and detention of three youths in Borno State over a Facebook post concerning funds reportedly received by Shani Local Government Council from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
The rights organisation identified the affected youths as Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed and Muhammed Mallum, who were reportedly detained by the police after sharing information indicating that Shani Local Government Council received about ₦3.11 billion from the FAAC between January and June 2026.
Although the three have since been released, Amnesty International described their arrest and detention as unlawful, insisting that they should never have been arrested for sharing information and demanding accountability over public funds.
The organisation accused the Borno State Government and the Chairman of Shani Local Government Council, Hassan Abdu Labaki, of attempting to undermine accountability through the use of law enforcement agencies.
Amnesty International said the youths were subjected to what it described as “bizarre rounds of questioning” while in detention solely for sharing information drawn from authoritative sources concerning funds received on behalf of their local government area.
According to the organisation, demanding accountability from public officials over billions of naira received in the name of the people does not constitute a criminal offence.
“Clearly, Borno State Government is out to use the police to intimidate and harass youths seeking accountability. Asking a local government chairman to account for billions received on behalf of the people is not a crime,” Amnesty International said.
The organisation maintained that the three youths committed no offence, describing their arrest as an abuse of power and an unjustified restriction of their right to freedom of expression.
It stressed that citizens have the right to receive and share information, as well as criticise and question public officials regardless of their position or status.
Amnesty International urged the Nigeria Police Force to uphold due process and resist any attempt to turn the institution into a tool for political intimidation through arbitrary arrests, detention and other restrictions on the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and opinion.
The organisation also called on the Borno State Government to respect and protect fundamental human rights rather than, as it alleged, targeting young people for exercising their constitutional freedoms.
“Borno State Government must always uphold and respect human rights instead of consistently targeting young men for exercising their fundamental human rights,” the organisation said.
Amnesty International further stressed that under international human rights law, the fact that a social media post is considered offensive or unpalatable by a public official does not, on its own, provide sufficient grounds for arbitrary arrest or detention.
The organisation warned against the use of law enforcement agencies to suppress criticism and calls for accountability, insisting that public officials must remain open to scrutiny in a democratic society.
It called on relevant authorities to ensure that citizens are not subjected to intimidation, harassment or arbitrary detention for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and demanding accountability in the management of public resources.
