Youths Released After Arrest Over Local Government Allocations

Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed, and Muhammed Mallum were arrested by police in Borno State at the request of Hassan Abdu Labaki, the chairman of Shani Local Government Area, for sharing a Facebook post that revealed the council received N3.11 billion in FAAC allocations from January to June 2026. They were detained at the Shani Police Division and faced threats of transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Department of State Services (DSS) in Maiduguri.

Their release occurred around 2am on Saturday, approximately seven hours after Daily Trust published a report on their arrest. The youths were freed without formal charges being filed against them.

The post they shared contained figures based on monthly FAAC disbursement reports from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, detailing allocations that included statutory allocation, VAT, and other components. The incident sparked public concern and calls for accountability regarding local government finances.