Two Borno Tricycle Riders Languish In Prison Over Alleged Attempt To Expose Govt Atrocities
Families of two commercial tricycle operators in Maiduguri, Borno State, have accused the state government, led by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, of ordering their arrest and prolonged detention after they allegedly planned a peaceful protest over the alleged mismanagement of funds contributed by riders.
The detained operators, identified as Muhammed Bukar and Ibrahim Muhammed—both members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)—were arrested by the Police Crack Squad on the alleged orders of Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Saina Buba.
According to relatives, the riders were detained for three months and two weeks at a police facility before spending an additional two months in prison custody while facing trial.
“They were still sent back to prison while the case was in court,” one family member alleged.
At the centre of the dispute is a daily N100 ticket fee collected from tricycle operators, supposedly serving as insurance to provide financial support to any operator facing emergencies.
However, the riders alleged that officials managing the fund embezzled the money and failed to assist operators in need, prompting plans for the protest before their arrest.
One of the family members told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that both men had stated they were planning to participate in a protest before the August 2024 demonstration due to the cheating and unfair treatment they were facing from the Borno State Government.
In response, the government sent the Police Crack Squad to arrest them. They spent three months and two weeks in police detention in Maiduguri.
The family member said, “They were accused of being part of the people who protested during the #EndBadGovernance protest, even though they had been arrested before that protest took place.
“After spending three months and two weeks in detention, they were taken to court, and from there, they were sent to the Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison, where they spent another two months and two weeks.
“After that, they were brought before Court 10 in GRA ‘Gidan Madara,’ where they were given stringent bail conditions. The bail condition required them to provide land property with a Certificate of Occupancy approved by the state government.
“As vulnerable people, we did not have such documents to use for their bail. However, one of our elder brothers came forward as a surety, presented his Certificate of Occupancy, and secured their release from prison.”
A brother of the two victims told SaharaReporters that they had been attending court hearings for their case.
“One day, when they arrived at court, the judge revoked their bail and sent them back to prison because their lawyer was absent,” the relation said.
“Meanwhile, they were accused of planning a protest, even though they were not part of the protesters. Before the first protest they intended to hold, some individuals went to the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development in Borno State, Saina Buba, and falsely claimed that both Ibrahim and Bukar had criticized the Borno State Governor.
“This was the reason they were ordered to be remanded.”
The source continued, “These two men are members of the APC; they worked for the APC and the governor day and night, yet they were never compensated. Instead, they were arrested and remanded for demanding their rights.
“We are frustrated and in pain because, despite using their tricycles to campaign for the Borno State Governor, they ended up in prison for committing no crime. They toured all 27 local government areas to campaign.
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“We are calling on the Governor to order the release of my brothers. They were arrested before the August protest by the Police Crack Squad and remained in detention during the protest.”
“It has been over two months now, and we want to appeal, but we were told that we cannot appeal if they have spent three months, and we do not have the money to file the appeal,” the source added.
