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The Executive Secretary of the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), Engineer Adam Bababe, has used the police to arrest a man, Suleiman Usman—popularly known as Sultan—on allegations of cyberbullying and defamation.

Sources told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the 26-year-old was arrested on April 12, 2025, over what they described as baseless accusations, insisting he did not commit any act of cyberbullying.

According to a source familiar with the case, Suleiman’s arrest was politically motivated and allegedly directed by Bababe, a known ally of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

“He was arrested on April 12, 2025 by the police commissioner, who is always dancing to the tune of one governor’s ally,” the source claimed.

“One Engr. Adam Bababe, who always directs police to arrest young persons who are not supporting the APC, is behind this. Suleiman is just the latest victim.”

The source further alleged that the police in Borno State, acting under instructions from top political figures, are being used as tools of suppression against dissenting voices, especially young people critical of the APC-led administration.

“This is not about cyberbullying. It’s about silencing a young man who dares to speak his mind. Suleiman didn’t commit any crime. He is being punished for refusing to toe the political line of those in power,” the source added.

 

When SaharaReporters contacted Adam Bababe, he accused Suleiman of persistent cyberbullying, spreading false allegations, and inciting public tension, which he described as a threat to his life and safety.

“Suleiman has consistently defamed me online,” Bababe stated. 

“He has been cyberbullying me, sending false allegations, and continuously creating a security threat to my life. That was basically what pushed me to take legal action.”

Bababe explained that he initially ignored Suleiman’s actions until the individual went further by posting his photograph online with a caption accusing him of being responsible for Borno State’s problems.

 

“You know what that means in a place like Borno,” he said. “Accusing someone of being behind the insecurity or other issues can endanger their life.”

“The Penal Code in Borno, as reviewed in 2023, identifies defamation of character, cyberbullying, and public incitement as criminal offences. So, I filed a petition based on those provisions. This is not a civil matter. It’s a criminal case,” Bababe said.

Bababe suggested that the root of the online attacks may be tied to resistance against land reforms and anti-corruption efforts introduced by his agency.

He said, “A lot has happened in Maiduguri, especially around land administration. Before this administration, there was a lot of rot — land racketeering, scams, grabbing. Laws like the 1978 Land Use Act existed but weren’t enforced.

“We came on board in January 2020 to clean that up, and obviously, corruption fights back. People started pushing all sorts of allegations to discredit us.”

He said tensions have escalated recently as political transitions approach.

“As the government winds down, people are weaponising social media. Youths with TikTok and other platforms are being approached and used to push false narratives. It’s getting so bad that sometimes you can’t even move around town freely,” he added.

 

Bababe revealed that Suleiman began posting defamatory content about him in September 2024 and continued doing so for months. 

 

“He kept putting up my pictures alongside insults and false allegations. I stayed quiet and watched from a distance,” he said.

 

“But the height of it was when he said I was a disaster and responsible for all the state’s problems. That’s not something anyone should overlook.”

 

He explained that he documented all of Suleiman’s social media posts, taking screenshots and saving them before they were deleted.

 

“We compiled all the evidence and submitted it to the police. I said, ‘Enough is enough.’”

 

Bababe said that when Suleiman was arrested, his lawyer called him to apologise on his behalf and urged Bababe to treat it as a civil matter.

 

“He said if I felt defamed, I should seek damages in a civil suit. I told him, ‘Fine, I’ll speak with my solicitor,’” Bababe noted.

 

However, his solicitor informed him that the matter falls under criminal law.

“Defamation, cyberbullying, and incitement — they’re all criminal under the revised Borno Penal Code,” Bababe explained.

But Suleiman’s lawyer persisted, arguing the matter should be civil. 

“When he couldn’t convince me, he threatened me,” Bababe claimed. 

“He said he would ‘pull me down by whatever means’ and fight for the boy’s rights. I told him, ‘Go ahead — God is with the truthful.’”

However, Bababe clarified that while he might forgive Suleiman personally, the matter is now beyond just him.

 

“It’s not about whether I grant him bail. That’s the job of the police and the courts. I can only say whether or not I’m withdrawing my case — and I haven’t,” he said.

 

“Parents are everything. My mother cries when she sees those posts about me. If he has rights, I do too. If I had committed a crime, I would accept it. But I haven’t.”

 

When asked if he would consider withdrawing the case to ease tensions, Bababe responded, “Tension from who? It’s the lawyer who’s instigating tension. You expect soft words from the opposition? Only a fool expects kindness from an adversary.”

 

He insisted that no one should be threatened for exercising their rights.

 

“If this had been the other way around, no one would listen to me. Let’s be honest. But I’ve heard him, and I’ve seen him plead. If it were just between me and him, I’d consider it. But his lawyer said he would destroy me — that’s why I’m pursuing the case to the end.”

 

Bababe reiterated that he wants justice, not revenge. 

 

“Let him prove his threat in court. I want this case to be an example. You don’t destroy someone’s life online and walk away like nothing happened,” he said.

Detectives from the Yaba Divisional Police Station in Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo Local Government Area of Ondo State, have raided some strategic black spots including a brothel house . 

 

Some commercial s3x workers and middle-aged men, whose identities are yet to be confirmed, were apprehended when the armed officers stormed the brothel house located on Iluyemi street, in a commando style. 

 

The sting operation, carried out on Thursday, was led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Victor Olowolagba, who was accompanied by detectives from the division.

 

An impeccable source, who spoke to the Daily Trusr, hinted that the policemen were acting on a tip-off from members of the public, who had reported about some unwholesome and criminal activities allegedly taking place inside the brothel house.

 

“Some of them also reported that the building, being used by the commercial sex workers, also served as a hideout for suspected fraudsters and other criminals,” the source said. 

 

“After the raid, the police were able to apprehend some commercial sex workers who are young girls and two men, suspected to be fraudsters.”

 

Confirming the raid and arrest at the brothel, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Olowolagba, explained that the police stormed the area in a surprised move to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the area.

 

According to the police chief, the security operatives had earlier received credible information about the bungalow serving as brothel for the commercial sex workers. 

 

“We received credible information that the building might be used by fraudsters and other criminals,” he said. 

“The owner of the building has been invited for questioning to assist with our investigation.”

 

Mr Olowolagba revealed that the various items suspected to be charms of different kinds were discovered at the brothel.

A new terror group has emerged in the North Central part of Nigeria, terrorising residents of rural communities, SaharaReporters has gathered.

 

Known as Mahmuda, sources said the group attacks communities around the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP) at will.

 

The national park is located in North Central Nigeria, spanning parts of Kwara State and Niger State.

Some affected communities are in Kaiama Local Government Area (Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, Nanu) and Barutein Local Government Area (villages in Yashikira District), both in Kwara.

 

The sources added that the group has also taken over communities in Babana and Wawa District in Borgu Local Government in Niger.

 

SaharaReporters learnt that the militants attacked a vigilante group on Wednesday in Kemanji, killing over 15 members and villagers.

 

“They called themselves Mahmuda group. Their leader in a voice note is threatening all the communities. They kill and kidnap victims and also demand ransom,” one of the sources said.

 

Another source added, “The surge of insecurity in Nigeria has been a source of concern to the citizenry because of its destructive factor to livelihood, and unfortunately, new militant groups continue to emerge and occupy the ungoverned spaces in the country.

“With the Kainji Lake National Park left unguarded, the loggers, fishermen, and hunter groups take the opportunity and start enjoying the common good of the citizens for their personal gain,” the source said.

“At the beginning there was a clash between the loggers and the militants as well as the vigilantes, but the loggers negotiated with the militants, and the loggers gained access to the forest to harvest trees without any hitches and this as well serves as the biggest opportunity for the militant to make money through the logging activities.

“Currently, the community of Kainji National Park (KLNP), which includes Kaiama LGA (Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, Nanu) and Barutein LGA (villages in Yashikira District that share a border with the park), all in Kwara State, part of Babana and Wawa District in Borgu LGA in Niger State, have been under siege for years, and the world does not know what is happening to the Borgawas (Borgu people).

“The militants occupied the park visibly over five years ago when they raided the park and chased the Range Guard out of the park. They migrated from Mokwa LGA when they were chased away by the then Governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu. He accused them of being members of Boko Haram.

“Upon their eviction from Mokwa LGA, they relocated to a village called Welele in Kaiama LGA. The local government authority, with the collaboration of the security forces, forced them out of Kaiama LGA. Following their eviction from Kaiama, they relocated to the Kaduna State forest. The same group, well-armed, resurfaced in the national park, and became a monster.

 

“Thus, who are these new militant groups? Some people claim that the militant group came from the Benin Republic or Niger Republic. This claim is also similar to a report from BBC Radio that there was an influx of militant groups to Kainji Lake National Park. Further study of them will reveal the true identity of this faceless group.

“However, a recent audiotape record from the militant claims to be a moderate Islamist, this assertion confirms that they are a sect of Boko haram that broke away from the Shekau-led extremist group. Regrettably, the locals are gradually being recruited into their ranks as informants. They referred to themselves as the Mahmuda Group or Mallam Group, their leader’s name and a jihadist fighting to promote the cause of the Sunni group.

 

“The militant group mainly speaks Hausa. The saddened reality is that the activities of these militants, controlling a vast territory of 3970.29 sq. km of the Nigerian state, have resulted in the community members living at the mercy and dictates of the non-state actor. Living at the mercy and dictates of the militants manifests in a number of ways.

 

“First, the herders within the park pay dues (zakah) to the militants to allow them to graze their cattle. Second, the farmers to whom the militant allocates farmland within the forest also pay farming levies to the militants. Third, the militants forced the residents to work on their farm as sadaka. Fourth, members of the community are kidnapped and made to pay ransom. Fifth, illegal mounting of roadblocks along the community, and regulating the social activities, particularly the sale of alcohol and all forms of smoking, and even settling disputes among the community’s members.

 

“Sixth, the militants threaten the existence of herbalists that they assume are fortifying the community vigilante members to confront them. Unconfirmed reports also have it that the Mahmuda Group or Mallam Group is into illegal mining in the park environment. 

“In their ploy to deceive the people with religion, they timely gather community members to preach about Islamic ethics as well as persuade community members to be disloyal to the Nigerian state and also instruct that any disputes within the community must be reported to them.

“The loss of trust in the security agent to address the insecurity challenges in the area makes the vigilante group work hand in hand with the Mahmuda Group to rescue kidnapped victims from the bandits. The group was able to force out all the bandits from the park area, and their collaborators within the communities were kidnapped to their place, and ransom was collected, or those judged to be more involved in the act of banditry were slaughtered.

“The assumption among the locals is that the militant group present in the National Park is known to the authority above, but by whom? Guess time will tell. To some, it’s simply because of the sophisticated weapons in their possession, which makes it practically difficult for them to be dislodged from the national asset.”