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Three youths have reportedly been arrested in Shani Local Government Area of Borno State after allegedly posting details of the council's Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) receipts on Facebook.
The youths, identified as Salihu Yahaya, Haruna Mohammed and Muhammed Mallum, were reportedly taken into police custody following a post stating that Shani Local Government received about ₦3.11 billion from the Federation Account between January and June 2026.
Sources close to the matter alleged that the arrests were carried out at the instance of the local government chairman, although the claim has not been independently verified.
The Facebook post, which circulated widely online, carried the caption: "Shani Local Government Received ₦3.110 Billion Allocation From Federal Government From January To June 2026." The figure was reportedly derived from an analysis of monthly FAAC disbursement reports.
According to sources, the three youths were initially detained in Shani before being threatened with transfer to either the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Department of State Services (DSS) in Maiduguri.
The sources maintained that the youths committed no offence beyond sharing information on the council's allocations through their Facebook accounts.
One source said the arrests had sparked outrage among residents, especially young people, with many taking to social media to demand the immediate release of the detainees.
"Our concern is that they only shared information about the allocation received by the local government. If the authorities believe the figures are inaccurate, they should explain the discrepancies instead of arresting them," the source said.
Another resident said the incident had created fear among youths who use social media to discuss governance and public affairs in the local government.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts and legal status of the three youths could not be independently confirmed.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Chairman of Shani Local Government were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to him were not answered.
The Borno State Police Command also did not respond to requests for comments on the alleged arrests or the reasons for the detention.
Meanwhile, records from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation indicate that Shani Local Government received a cumulative ₦3.11 billion in FAAC allocations between January and June 2026.
The reports show that the council received ₦514.80 million in January, ₦533.46 million in February, ₦474.92 million in March, ₦496.11 million in April, ₦551.90 million in May and ₦538.95 million in June, bringing the total allocation for the six-month period to ₦3,110,132,578.97.
