Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A disturbing incident has emerged from Niger State, where security personnel attached to the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, allegedly brutalised a man over a social media post that faulted the monarch for not celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. The attack, which has sparked outrage in the affected community, adds to a troubling pattern of violence linked to the royal institution and raises urgent questions about accountability and the limits of traditional authority in Nigeria.
According to accounts from local sources, the victim had taken to Facebook to express his displeasure over what he perceived as the monarch's failure to mark the Maulud celebration. The post apparently caught the attention of individuals within the palace, leading to the deployment of security personnel who reportedly tracked the man down and subjected him to a brutal assault. The exact nature and extent of his injuries could not be immediately verified, but sources described the attack as severe.
The incident is not an isolated one. In March 2026, a senior reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority, Musa Mikail, was brutalised by security aides attached to the Niger State Governor during a Ramadan Iftar event organised by the Etsu Nupe at his palace in Bida. The assault, which was condemned by the International Press Institute, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, saw the reporter allegedly attacked and forced out of the venue on the instruction of the governor's Chief Security Officer. SERAP called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the incident, describing it as a brutal assault on a journalist.
The palace of the Etsu Nupe has also been the subject of previous controversies involving allegations of forced conversion and the treatment of individuals who run afoul of the traditional institution. In 2013, a pastor accused the Etsu Nupe of abducting and forcibly converting his daughter to Islam. The monarch denied the allegations, stating that the girl had sought protection at the palace after converting to Islam. The case drew national attention and highlighted the tensions between religious freedom and traditional authority.
Under Nigerian law, traditional rulers do not possess judicial authority to order the arrest or punishment of citizens. The Nigeria Police Force and other statutory security agencies are the only bodies empowered to investigate and prosecute offences. Any use of security personnel by traditional institutions to intimidate or assault individuals over social media posts or other forms of expression raises serious constitutional concerns. Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, while Section 35 protects personal liberty. The alleged assault on the man in Niger State appears to be a direct violation of these provisions.
The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, is a retired Brigadier General of the Nigerian Army who ascended the throne in 2003. He is the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers and a figure of considerable influence in the North-Central region. His military background has been cited by supporters as a factor in his approach to security and governance within his emirate. However, critics argue that the same background may have fostered a culture of impunity among his security detail.
The Niger State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the latest incident. It remains unclear whether the victim has reported the assault to the police or whether any arrests have been made. The silence from official quarters has only deepened concerns about the protection of citizens from abuses by those who wield traditional and security power.
For the people of Niger State, the incident is a stark reminder of the fragility of individual rights in the face of entrenched authority. It raises fundamental questions about the role of traditional rulers in a constitutional democracy and the mechanisms available for holding them and their security personnel accountable. Until those questions are answered and those mechanisms are strengthened, the risk of further abuses will remain.
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