The president of the Borno State Youth Association, Samaila Ibrahim Kaigama, has been arrested by operatives of Nigeria’s Department of State Services in Abuja, hours after an audio recording surfaced in which he warned he might be detained.
In the recording obtained by SaharaReporters, Kaigama said he had received information that authorities believed he was “digging up a lot” through his media engagements. He disclosed plans to meet Senator Ali Ndume before a scheduled 2 p.m. appointment with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, but expressed concern the meeting could lead to his detention.
“If you do not hear from me in the next 24 to 48 hours, you can put out whatever you want to put out,” Kaigama said in the recording. “I am getting rumours and information that NSA is planning to detain me for the information I’ve been giving out, for communications and they feel I’m digging up a lot.”
Kaigama also revealed he had communicated with terrorists who made what he described as “very bold claims” on certain issues. He said this contact was partly why he had delayed releasing a video discussing the matters. “With that being said, I want to go for tomorrow’s activities, God willing, if I’m alive,” he added.
The arrest followed Kaigama’s appearance on Channels Television, where he made allegations concerning ransom payments to Boko Haram insurgents. Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore confirmed the detention, stating a lawyer from the firm of Deji Adeyanju was denied access to Kaigama at DSS headquarters after waiting more than an hour.
The development has raised concerns among rights advocates over attempts to silence dissenting voices. Kaigama’s preemptive warning to media allies underscores the risks faced by civil society actors engaging with security-related issues in the region.
