Sowore’s Allegations and the Unanswered Questions

Sowore’s Allegations and the Unanswered Questions

By Abba Bukar Abba Masta

On Thursday, 21st August 2025, Omoyele Sowore, an activist and publisher of the popular online newspaper Sahara Reporters, raised three fundamental allegations against Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the Executive Governor of Borno State. These allegations strike at the very heart of governance, accountability and justice in Borno.

First, Sowore alleged that a torture chamber is being operated within the crack unit of the Nigeria Police Force in Maiduguri, where dissenting voices are silenced on orders from above. Second, he accused the Borno State Government of wasting scarce resources on the controversial DDR programme for repentant Boko Haram terrorists, men who by every moral, legal and religious standard, should have been made to face the full consequences of their actions, not rewarded with reintegration packages. Thirdly and most damning, Sowore presented documentary evidence showing that the governor proposed or perhaps already expended a whooping N4 billion to procure just 200 cartons of pesticides at the exorbitant cost of N25 million per carton. Again, only last night, Mr. Sowore, in his sustained criticisms, revisited the issue of poor salaries and welfare of civil servants across the state and local governments.

In the wake of all these allegations, the media space was quickly flooded with coordinated attacks on Sowore and anyone daring to share his concerns. From name calling by political “magadogs” (to borrow Sen. Ndume’s words), to lengthy epistles from the governor’s aides, what we saw was not a reasoned rebuttal but a calculated attempt to deflect and trivialize the germane issues raised.

Having carefully reviewed these responses, a pattern emerges. The allegation of a torture chamber was downplayed and twisted into a discussion about minors allegedly detained during the #EndBadGovernance protests. The DDR programme was conveniently described as an initiative of the federal government with no acknowledgment of the state government’s active participation and funding. And perhaps most telling of all is the N4 billion pesticide scandal, not a single word, not one was uttered in defense. Silence they say is sometimes the loudest admission.

I know from personal experience that Sowore’s first allegation is no mere conjecture. On 4th July 2024, precisely a year ago, my bosom friend and brother, Yusuf Sheriff Banki was whisked away in Abuja by security operatives. His family initially feared he had been kidnapped, only for us to discover that he had been forcibly transported to Maiduguri and detained in this same “crack unit” before being slammed with trumped up charges. His release came only after immense public pressure. And Yusuf is not alone. In recent times, reports abound of young people being detained on the orders from above or at the behest of his loyalists for no crime other than exercising their political freedoms.

On the DDR programme, I need not say much. The overwhelming majority of Borno people are victims who have suffered unimaginable loss and have rejected it outrightly. We cannot in good conscience embrace those who have murdered our parents, children, brothers and sisters. Islam is unequivocal on this matter, whoever deliberately takes a life or raises arms against society has crossed a line beyond pardon. The repentance of these terrorists does not erase their crimes and the federal government’s involvement does not absolve the state of complicity. The people deserve to know what role our government is playing in sustaining this charade.

Finally and most urgently, the pesticide scandal. Sowore presented a document showing a planned expenditure of N4 billion for 200 cartons at N25 million per carton. That such an absurd and indefensible transaction could even be proposed in a state battered by poverty, hunger and displacement is a grave insult to the people of Borno. Yet, the governor’s aides usually quick to pen long essays on trivial matters have chosen complete silence. This is not just suspicious, it is damning.

These allegations are too grave to be brushed aside with propaganda. They demand answers not diversions. They demand accountability not attacks. And until they are incontrovertibly disproved, one painful truth remains, Borno State is being bled dry, exploited and betrayed by those who swore to protect it.

Abba Bukar Abba Masta writes from Bama, Borno State. He can be reached via abbabor@gmail.com