Amnesty alleges political repression in Borno over arrests of young men
Amnesty International has accused authorities in Nigeria’s Borno State of using arrests and criminal charges to suppress dissent. The organisation said 11 young men had been detained since August over allegations including disrupting government officials’ speeches. Police have separately denied that arrests of opposition supporters were based on political views.
Amnesty International has accused authorities in Nigeria’s Borno State of escalating political repression, alleging that arrests and criminal charges are being used to silence dissent. In a post on X, the rights organisation said 11 young men had been held at Maiduguri Maximum Prison since 28 August. They were arraigned at Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Wulari, Maiduguri, on 8 September.
According to Amnesty, the men face allegations including interrupting, shouting at and embarrassing government officials while they were delivering a speech. The organisation described the charges as apparently politically motivated and said the detentions raised concerns about personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of expression and peaceful dissent. The allegations come amid controversy over the arrest and prosecution of other opposition supporters in Maiduguri.
Police arrested five men on 25 September who were wearing T-shirts marked “Tinubu Must Go” near West End Roundabout. The men were charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbing public peace and thuggery. The Borno State Police Command said officers stopped them during a routine patrol and recovered items including suspected cannabis, suspected D5 tablets, a shisha pot, scissors and two of the T-shirts.
Police said the arrests were not based on the men’s political views and that the courts should determine the allegations. Governor Babagana Zulum has also said he did not order the detention of opposition supporters. Amnesty said the recent cases reflected a troubling pattern and urged the state government to protect freedom of expression and association and uphold the rule of law.
The supplied material did not include a response from the Borno government to the organisation’s latest allegations.
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