Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The women arrived at the gates of the Government House in Yola with nothing but their voices and their tears. They came not with weapons, not with placards, but with the raw, uncontainable grief of mothers, wives and sisters who have watched their loved ones rot in detention for nearly four months without charge, without trial, and without any explanation that makes sense. The 42 men of Mubi, arrested on May 6, 2026, in a sweeping police operation that swept through the town like a storm, have become the haunting symbol of a justice system that has lost its way. And on Monday, August 10, 2026, their families made a desperate, emotional plea to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri: intervene. Free our sons. Free our husbands. Free our fathers.
The video obtained by SaharaReporters is almost unbearable to watch. Women wail profusely, their voices cracking as they beg for compassion. "Please, for God's sake, be compassionate, our governor and our father. Be merciful. We are distressed. We are in discomfort because some of those arrested are the breadwinners and some are students. Some of them were on family errands when they were arrested," the women pleaded. Another woman, her face streaked with tears, described the situation as "severe persecution" and urged the governor to consider the plight of the detainees and their families. "Please, our governor, you're our father. We come in peace to plead with you to intervene and ensure justice for us and our detained loved ones," they said.
The families say the detainees have now spent almost four months in custody, leaving relatives struggling to cope with the prolonged absence of their loved ones. But what makes this case so deeply troubling is that a court has already ruled that their detention is illegal. On July 23, 2026, the Federal High Court in Yola delivered a judgment that should have set them free. The court declared the arrest and continued detention of the applicants illegal, unconstitutional, null and void. The court held that the arrest and continued detention of the applicants without confronting them with the facts and reasons for their arrests, without charge and without arraignment, violated their rights to personal liberty and fair hearing guaranteed under Sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 4, 5, 6 and 12(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The court also declared the remand warrant obtained by the police from Chief Magistrate Court 2, Yola, illegal, null and void. The Federal High Court ordered the police and correctional authorities to immediately release each of the 42 applicants upon each of them entering into a bond before the court to be of good behaviour for two years.
That judgment was delivered on July 23. It is now August 10. The 42 men remain behind bars.
The police, however, have offered a counter-narrative. In a statement on Sunday, August 9, the Adamawa State Police Command denied defying the court order, saying the detainees remained in custody pursuant to a fresh warrant issued by Chief Magistrate Court 1, Mubi, on July 28, 2026. According to the police, following the Federal High Court's ruling, the Attorney-General of Adamawa State instituted fresh criminal proceedings against the affected persons before the Mubi court. The police argued that the Federal High Court proceedings primarily concerned the jurisdiction of the court that had initially issued the remand warrant, and that the fresh warrant from Mubi represented a separate legal basis for continued detention. "It is therefore important to clarify that the Police did not act unilaterally or in defiance of the Federal High Court, but in furtherance of her mandate to maintain law and order and the execution of warrant issued by another court of competent jurisdiction against the applicants/defendants which has nothing to do with the ruling of the Federal High Court," the command said.
But for the families, the legal arguments have done little to ease their suffering. They say they have been left without fathers, husbands, sons and other relatives who are critical to the survival of their households. The 42 residents were arrested in Mubi and subsequently taken to Yola, more than 200 kilometres away, without being informed of the reasons for their arrest or the offences they were alleged to have committed. According to court documents, the detainees were handcuffed, bundled into police vehicles and transported to Yola. Upon arrival, they were detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Jimeta, before some of them were later transferred to the correctional centre in Yola. The applicants said the police obtained a remand warrant from Chief Magistrate Court 2, Yola, on May 8, 2026, which was subsequently used to keep them in custody. They challenged the legality of the remand order, arguing that Mubi, where they were arrested, falls under the Mubi Magisterial District and is over 200 kilometres from Yola, meaning Chief Magistrate Court 2, Yola, lacked territorial jurisdiction. The detainees further alleged that since their arrest, the police had neither conducted an investigation into the alleged offence nor informed them of the specific offence they were accused of committing. According to the applicants, repeated requests for bail, made orally and through their relatives, were rejected by the police on the grounds that they had been arrested and detained pursuant to an executive order allegedly issued by Governor Fintiri himself.
The detainees, through their lawyer, Abubakar Ali, subsequently filed Suit No. FHC/YL/CS/16/2026 at the Federal High Court, Yola Division, seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights. The suit was filed against the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State Command; the Controller, Nigerian Correctional Service, Adamawa State Command; and the Attorney General of Adamawa State. The court ruled in their favour. But the ruling has not been enforced.
The women who gathered at the Government House on Monday are not lawyers. They are not politicians. They are mothers who have not seen their sons in four months. They are wives who have been forced to become the sole providers for their families. They are sisters who have watched their brothers vanish into a system that refuses to let them go. "Our governor, you're our father. It behoves leaders to show compassion. Please don't let these men rot in prison. Help us free them in the name of God," one of the women pleaded.
The case has drawn sharp condemnation from human rights groups and civil society organisations. The Nigerian Observatory for Human Rights has described the situation as a "flagrant violation of the rule of law" and called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to intervene immediately. "When a court speaks, all agencies of the state are bound to obey. The refusal to release these 42 individuals is not just an insult to the judiciary; it is an assault on the fundamental rights of every Nigerian," the group said. Residents of Mubi have expressed outrage over the situation, with many taking to social media to voice their frustration. "These people have families who are suffering. They have been locked away for months without any charge. Now a court has said they should be freed, and still they are not released. Where is the justice?" one resident asked.
The Adamawa State Government has yet to comment on the matter. Governor Fintiri's administration has previously taken steps to address prison congestion and unlawful detention. But in this case, the government's silence has been deafening. Critics argue that the executive must hold the security agencies accountable and ensure that court orders are respected, regardless of political or operational considerations. The women who wept at the gates of the Government House are still waiting. Their sons, their husbands, their fathers remain in detention. And the question that now hangs over this case is whether the governor will listen to their cries or whether the 42 men of Mubi will become another statistic in a justice system that has forgotten its purpose.
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