Borno tricycle operators receive five year Jail sentence over WhatsApp led protest against Zulum administration

Two commercial tricycle drivers affiliated with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Maiduguri, were handed five-year prison terms for orchestrating a campaign against the Borno State Government via a WhatsApp group.

The men, Mohammed Bukar (also known as Awana) and Ibrahim Mohammed (aka Babayo), were convicted on June 30, 2025, by Honorable Justice A.M. Ali. Court records (case number BOHC/MG/CR/2150/CT10/2024) show they were accused of initiating the “Zanga Zanga Group”, meaning Protest Group, to rally Keke Napep operators for a demonstration targeting Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s administration.

As the sixth and seventh defendants in a broader case, Bukar and Mohammed were charged with leveraging videos in Kanuri and Hausa to encourage tricycle riders to join the protest, emphatically declaring there was “no going back”. The videos allegedly incited the RSVP to the planned march against the government.

Justice Ali sentenced the duo to serve five years behind bars for this alleged plotting on social media. The seven accused individuals faced charges centering around a conspiracy to form a group intended to take up arms, including firearms, knives, and bows and arrows, against state authorities, a violation under the Borno Penal Code of 2023.

Despite pleading not guilty at their arraignment on April 11, 2024, the prosecution presented several witnesses, including Sgt. Isa Abubakar, a detective from the Crime Squad. The officer recounted that the sixth defendant had used one video as a WhatsApp status to rally protesters on July 21, 2024, and that he later downloaded incriminating footage before arresting both suspects on July 23.

In sentencing, Justice Ali considered pleas for mercy, particularly for younger defendants aged 14 to 17, who were given community service and limited incarceration. However, Bukar and Mohammed, along with others, received full prison terms which commenced immediately on June 30, 2025.

Families of the detained riders have since accused Governor Zulum’s government of prosecuting loyal party members unjustly, pointing to prolonged detention without trial as punishment for raising concerns about the misuse of a daily N100 riders’ fee fund intended for emergency assistance. Relatives say their efforts to peacefully demand accountability led to their cumbersome arrests and incarceration.

The detainees reportedly endured over three months in police custody and additional time awaiting trial, fueling further discontent among tricycle operators, many of whom have rallied support for the governor’s party across numerous local government areas.