Three young men detained in Borno State over a social media post about their local government’s federal allocations have been freed, according to sources familiar with the situation. The release came hours after a report by Daily Trust highlighted their arrest.
Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed, and Muhammed Mallum were released at approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday, about seven hours after Daily Trust published its report on Friday night. The three had been held in connection with a Facebook post showing that Shani Local Government Area received N3.11 billion in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements between January and June 2026.
Arrest and Detention
Sources said the youths were arrested at the behest of the chairman of Shani Local Government Area, Hassan Abdu Labaki, after they shared the allocation figures. They were initially held at the Shani Police Division, where they were reportedly threatened with transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Department of State Services (DSS) in Maiduguri.
One source, who confirmed the release to Daily Trust, said the youths were freed without being taken to Maiduguri. “They were released around 2am. They are now back home,” the source said. Another source said the men were relieved to regain their freedom after spending several hours in custody, though it remained unclear whether any formal charges had been filed against them.
Context of the Post
The Facebook post that triggered the arrests contained only information about the local government’s FAAC receipts, without any allegations against the council chairman or other officials. The figures were based on monthly FAAC disbursement reports issued by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).
Daily Trust’s analysis showed that Shani LGA received N3,110,132,578.97 between January and June 2026. The allocation included statutory allocation, Value Added Tax (VAT), ecology funds, and other components such as augmentation, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and solid mineral revenue. The highest monthly allocation during the period was N551.90 million in May, while the lowest was N474.92 million in March.
Reactions and Calls for Accountability
The arrests had sparked concern among youths in the area, with several residents using social media to demand the release of the three men. As of Saturday morning, neither the council nor the police had issued an official statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrest and release.
Daily Trust had earlier reported that efforts to reach Chairman Labaki for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages went unanswered. Police authorities in Borno State also could not be reached for their reaction.
The incident has renewed calls among residents for public officials to respond to questions about public funds and to use established channels to correct disputed information, rather than resorting to the arrest of citizens.
The three youths could not be reached for detailed comments on their release, as a source close to them disclosed that their phones were still in police custody because the officer holding them was not present at the time of their release.
Source: Daily Trust
Comments