Borno’s ‘War’ on Words: When free speech becomes a crime

Mele Mohammed, a councillor in Yawa Kura Ward in Borno State, witnessed the April fire outbreak at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Abadam and captured the incident on video.

He posted the three-minute video online showing smoke rising from the ruins of his village and how women struggled to pack the debris of their property gutted by fire.

A few days later, he was suspended.

“I only shared this incident on a WhatsApp community group expressing my anger and frustration over the fire incident and lack of attention by the LGA chairman,” Mr Mohammed said.

The councillor was ‘stripped’ of his office though he is an elected officer.

Mr Mohammed’s experience illustrates the growing intolerance of the Borno State government regarding criticism by citizens, activists, journalists and the opposition.

While the Borno State Government struggles to combat threats and protect lives in a conflict-ridden state, actions by some officials often violates the citizens’ freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution.

The case of Kande Waziri, founder of Outstanding Trust Foundation was peculiar. She was detained for three days after leading a protest with children to raise awareness about her foundation’s forced eviction.

“My intention was to raise public awareness and seek help from well-meaning Nigerians,” Ms Waziri recounted.

She was eventually released on administrative bail, but that was after she had been subjected to investigations involving the Bulama community leader and parents of the wards she trained, who all confirmed she never received money for her services, contrary to the allegation circulated against her.

Yet, she was warned from continuing to render service to children under her care, and now she is already thinking of relocating to another state.

The police justified her arrest and detention on the account that she failed to notify them before mobilising children for protest, though the Supreme Court had ruled that police permits are unconstitutional for peaceful assemblies in Nigeria.

Two months ago, Sultan Usman spent four days in police detention for replying to a government official’s tweet. He was reportedly detained for criticising the Executive Secretary of the Borno State Geographical Information Service, Adam Bababe, on social media.

“I made that tweet when I was in Egypt for an academic programme… I was surprised when the police arrested me at the airport,” Mr Usman recounted.

Babakura Abba Mala, a content creator, was also held for 12 days at the police Crack Division for sharing a Facebook post about alleged government property removal during a college merger.

Despite attempts by his father, Abba Mala, the Provost of Kashim Ibrahim College of Education who took responsibility for making the publication public, his son was arrested and detained for days.

“All that the boy did was share what I posted… Why target this boy?”

He said his son was being used as a scapegoat to punish him for exposing the “vandalization and unlawful evacuation of assets” in the college.

Another recent case was Haruna Mohammed, a 19-year-old known online as Abale Borno. The police arrested him on 2 April, 2025, for a viral social media post criticizing the poor state of public schools in Borno State. They also charged him with “defaming and degrading the personality of the governor.”

Amnesty International has condemned his arrest and detention, declaring that “punishing citizens for critical social media posts is oppressive and has no place in a democratic society.”

But all the pleas to free him fell on deaf ears.

In Yobe State, Isheau Jadda was arrested and detained in May 2025, after a Facebook post about an uncompleted borehole.

A source from Yobe State National Human Right Commission who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak linked his arrest to a top government official’s instruction, highlighting abuses of power.

When they arraigned him in court, the magistrate delayed hearing his bail application on the excuse that he said he was too tired, said Ahmed Kaitafi, a resident of Yobe, who showed interest in the case.

Mr Jadda was eventually released almost three weeks later after fulfilling bail conditions.

Internally Displaced Persons are not excluded. Those who protest dire conditions in the camp face arrests, detention and ill-treatment by the security forces.

A 2017 Study by ACAPS highlighted several violations widely reported among IDPs in Borno State, including arbitrary detention and constraints on IDPs’ freedom of movement.

The US The Department of State’s 2023 Human Rights Report for Nigeria documented several cases of arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens, beyond the legal 48-hour limit.

Indeed, freedom of expression is an abstract idea in Borno, said Nurudeen Babagana, a resident of Bama.

“Freedom of expression is no longer in existence in Borno, if you say anything even a harmless critical opinion you will be arrested.”

Another Borno resident, Mustapha Mohammed, put the statement in better context. “We do have freedom of speech and expression but you have no guarantees after the speech,” he said.

Journalists as victims

Journalists are worse hit by attacks on free speech. For instance, Adamu Ngulde, now a freelance journalist, lost his job over an allegation of taking sides and swaying the opinion of callers during his broadcast on Al’Ansar radio and TV station.

“I was at Gamboru market, buying foodstuffs in preparation for Ramadan when the shocking news of my dismissal came as a WhatsApp message, I was devastated,” Mr Ngulde said.

Mr Ngulde recounted how his former boss disowned him in the Government house when asked to speak on allegations of critical comments by citizens in a programme aired in Al’Ansar radio.

Two years after the termination of his appointment for “provoking” the Borno State Governor despite moderating callers’ tirade, Mr Ngulde remains in professional limbo.

His experience echoes a historical pattern of media censorship in Borno.

As far back as November 2004, the Borno government declared BBC Hausa Service correspondent, the late broadcaster Adamu Mato, “persona non grata” and banned him from reporting from the state. This followed allegations of “incorrect reporting destabilising democracy” by the State House of Assembly.

In 2019, armed soldiers raided the Daily Trust newspaper office in Maiduguri, arresting Uthman Abubakar, the then regional editor and Ibrahim Sawab who was a reporter at the time.

This incident, though decades apart, illustrates a consistent attack on accountability journalism in a country that ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Such instances contribute to the 1,209 press freedom violations recorded in Nigeria, according to the CJID’s Press Attack Tracker gathered between 1986 and November 2024, resulting in 28 deaths.

In 2024, when protest swept through Nigeria, many had believed the “End-Bad-Governance” nationwide protest slated for 1st and 10th August might not hold in Maiduguri.

A media organisation had already reported non-compliance, but when two journalists of Ndarason Radio came across a group of protesting teenagers along Bulumkutu road, they swung into action to capture the moment. That coverage landed them and seven of their colleagues in police custody.

Nine months after the incident “the trauma, especially experienced by my female colleagues lingered and became severe; the management had to give us a break.” said one of the journalists who pleaded anonymity.

“Imagine being whisked away in a police van with sirens like a criminal-right from inside your office, we were about to be locked up in the cell, until one police officer then said we should be allowed to sit at the front desk,” he added.

They were later released after several hours of questioning.

“Though I was devastated, I went back to the station to continue a broadcast of the nationwide protest; I love my job,” the Ndarason staff said.

Beyond direct punitive actions, journalists in Borno also struggle to get access to information.

Atiku Galadima, a reporter with Tribune newspaper covering Borno and Yobe states, said there is access to press statements, which allows governments to push their narrative but when undertaking investigative reporting, journalists don’t get an official response, even when invoking the FOI Act which guarantees access to public information.

“I have been threatened several times for being a nosy journalist, especially during my days with Amana Radio in Gombe.”

In April 2025, Business Day’s Olatunji Omirin was harassed for reporting on ISWAP’s drone use, a story later validated by the military.

He also faced threats and accusations of cyberstalking after reporting on a Boko Haram incident in 2024, and had previously been detained by the army in 2020 for conflict-related reporting.

However, hostility against journalists is not limited to the conflict area. In 2023, NTA reporter Pauline Kuje Vana and her crew were attacked by a mob while covering a market fire, reflecting rising public aggression towards journalists in crisis settings.

Legal practitioner and human rights advocate Hamza Dantani has raised concerns over the suppression of critical voices in Borno State, citing the suspension of elected Yawa Kura ward councillor and the arrest of journalist Sultan Usman as clear violations of due process and freedom of expression.

Mr Dantani argued that many public officials often fail to distinguish between legitimate criticism and defamation, instead weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate citizens for expressing dissenting opinions. “That’s undemocratic,” he said.

He, however, cautioned citizens, especially social media users, to “think before you post, verify before sharing, and critique policies, not personalities or private lives.”

Audu Maigari, a media and communication researcher, expressed concern over the suppressed media climate in Borno State. He warned that such incidents contribute to a growing “chilling effect” in public conversation across Borno.

“People are increasingly afraid to express dissenting views for fear of repercussions,” he said.

Mr Maigari also highlighted media ownership and control as a key concern. “Public broadcasters rarely air dissenting opinions, and even private outlets appear compromised,” he noted, referencing the dismissal of journalist Ngulde from Alansar Radio after participating in a critical call-in programme.

Such actions, he said, undermine public dialogue, weaken institutional accountability, and erode trust in governance.

Responding to rising concerns about civil rights violations in Borno State, Jummai Mshelia, the state director of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), reaffirmed that every citizen has the right to free expression and opinion, so long as it does not infringe on others’ rights or violate the law.

Mr Mshelia said the NHRC would continue to address complaints through public radio programmes in indigenous languages on Dandal Kura Radio, dedicated phone lines, and active case management in collaboration with other agencies.

“Our doors are always open,” she said.

At the Borno State Police Command, spokesman Nahum Daso acknowledged incidents involving rights violations but emphasized the force’s commitment to upholding both national and international human rights standards.

“Sometimes, proactive measures such as detentions or confiscations are necessary under state laws, especially to prevent harm or disruptions from unnotified gatherings,” he said.

Mr Daso admitted, however, that any detention exceeding Nigeria’s lawful 48-hour limit is a breach, warranting an apology.

He added that certain individuals may be held longer under “protective custody” when officers believe there are external threats, including for those accused of wrongdoing.

On complaints regarding the force’s handling of civil matters, Mr Daso explained that the Crack Division, primarily tasked with internet-related crimes, occasionally intervenes in civil cases that escalate.

To enhance accountability, Mr Daso reminded citizens of approaching the Inspector General’s Complaint Response Unit, a mechanism well promoted by Borno’s Police Commissioner, Naziru Abulmajid, who often encouraged citizens to report misconduct or ethical violations through this platform.

“Any officer found wanting will face disciplinary action,” Mr Daso said.

Efforts to obtain official comment from the Borno State Ministry of Information and Internal Security were unsuccessful.

A visit to the ministry confirmed that the Commissioner had traveled out of the state on Hajj.

Dauda Iliya, senior special assistant to the Governor on media promised to get back to the reporter “after going through the findings”. He is yet to do so as of the time of filing the report.

Looking ahead

For those whose rights have been violated, constitutional lawyer Mr Dantani advised them to seek legal redress under Section 46 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution or reach out to advocacy groups such as SERAP or Amnesty International.

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Activist and media advocate Mr Maigari, called for broader public education on civil rights through media campaigns and training.

He urged associations like the NUJ and RATTAWU to play a greater role in safeguarding press freedom and civic participation.

“Free expression is essential not just for democracy but for economic survival. Without it, cases like Ngulde’s will keep happening,” he said.

This report is produced with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) as part of a project documenting issues focused on press freedom in Nigeria.