Three youths in Shani Local Government Area of Borno State have allegedly been arrested over a Facebook post detailing the council’s N3.1 billion allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between January and June 2026.
The youths — Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed and Muhammed Mallum — were reportedly arrested at the instance of the local government chairman, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The Facebook post, seen by Kano Times, contained an image with the caption: “Shani Local Government Received N3.110 Billion Allocation From the Federal Government From January to June 2026.”
The figure was derived from monthly FAAC disbursement reports.
Sources close to the youths said they were arrested and detained by the police in Shani before being threatened with transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Department of State Services (DSS) in Maiduguri.
The sources said the youths did nothing beyond sharing or posting the information on Facebook.
“Our concern is that they only shared information about the allocation received by the local government. If the authorities believe the information is wrong, they should explain where the figures are wrong instead of arresting them,” one of the sources said.
The alleged arrests have sparked concern among some youths in the area, with calls for the release of the three men circulating on social media.
Another source said the incident had created fear among young people who use social media to discuss the affairs of the local government.
Records confirm N3.11bn allocation
An analysis of monthly FAAC disbursement reports from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation confirms that Shani Local Government received N3,110,132,578.97 between January and June 2026.
The records show that the council received N514.80 million in January, N533.46 million in February, N474.92 million in March, N496.11 million in April, N551.90 million in May and N538.95 million in June.
May recorded the highest allocation at N551.90 million, while March had the lowest at N474.92 million.
In January, the council received N514.80 million, including N225.94 million in net statutory allocation, N12.07 million from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), N6.78 million as its net share of ecology funds and N270.02 million in Value Added Tax (VAT).
Its February allocation of N533.46 million comprised N184.33 million in net statutory allocation, N22.85 million in augmentation, N6.22 million in net share of ecology funds and N320.05 million in VAT.
In March, the council received N474.92 million, made up of N266.01 million in net statutory allocation, N7.98 million in net share of ecology funds and N200.94 million in VAT.
The April allocation stood at N496.11 million. It comprised N274.29 million in net statutory allocation, N45.71 million in augmentation, N13.54 million from solid mineral revenue, N10.01 million in net share of ecology funds and N152.58 million in VAT.
In May, Shani received N551.90 million, comprising N252.02 million in net statutory allocation, N57.13 million in augmentation, N9.27 million in net share of ecology funds and N233.47 million in VAT.
The council received N538.95 million in June, comprising N325.28 million in net statutory allocation, N9.76 million in net share of ecology funds and N203.91 million in VAT.
The records show that statutory allocation and VAT constituted the largest components of the council’s FAAC receipts during the period.
Arrests not independently confirmed
Despite reports of the arrests, Kano Times could not independently confirm the current whereabouts or status of the three youths as of the time of filing this report.
Attempts to contact the Shani Local Government chairman for his reaction were unsuccessful. Calls and text messages sent to him were not answered.
The Borno State Police Command also could not be reached for comment on the alleged arrests, the identities of the detainees or the reason for their reported detention.
