Police arrest IBBU student over alleged cybercrimes against Governor Bago
Police in Niger State have arrested a student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, for allegedly engaging in cybercrimes targeting the state governor, Mohammed Umar Bago.
The suspect, identified as a 400-level student, was reportedly apprehended following an investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), which linked him to online activities aimed at impersonating and defrauding unsuspecting individuals using the governor’s name and image.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the student was found operating fake social media accounts purporting to belong to Governor Bago, through which he solicited money and favors.
Abiodun added that the suspect would be charged in court upon the completion of investigations.
The Niger State Police Command has arrested a student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, for allegedly engaging in cybercrimes targeting Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
The suspect, a 400-level student, was reportedly tracked down by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) after he was found impersonating the governor online and defrauding unsuspecting victims using fake social media accounts.
Police spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest in a statement, noting that the suspect had been using the fraudulent accounts to solicit money and favors from members of the public.
He added that the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Sources close to the case, including a family lawyer, claim that the state government ordered the police to file terrorism and cybercrime charges against Mokwa, alleging that his use of the nickname “Governor Amunike”, a satirical reference to ex-footballer Emmanuel Amunike, was part of a campaign to ridicule the governor.
The moniker, widely used by critics to mock unfulfilled political promises, appeared in several of Mokwa’s Facebook posts criticizing Bago’s administration. In one post published six days before his arrest, Mokwa listed grievances such as worsening banditry in Zones B and C, unpaid pensions, poor support for flood victims, unkept scholarship promises, and high tuition fees of ₦360,000 per session at the new state university. He also accused the government of neglecting IBBUL’s infrastructure and abandoning the IBB Teaching Hospital project after relocating it to Minna.
While acknowledging some infrastructure projects, Mokwa criticized their slow pace and incomplete execution.
Hours before his arrest, Mokwa posted an alarming message suggesting he was being trailed by police. “There has been a suspicious move by two Lapai division police officers this evening at my lodge,” he wrote. “If before tomorrow anything happens, Dula knows the policemen who came. Tell the world I only stand for the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Following his detention, #FreeSenIsahMokwa began trending on social media as supporters, family, and human rights groups condemned the arrest as an attack on free speech and an example of growing state intolerance toward opposition voices.
Mokwa’s brother, Farouk Mokwa, criticized the police’s actions on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “When individuals that choose not to be swayed by the ineptitudes of the government are being picked and bundled like criminals, what hope is left for the future of opposition?”
A family lawyer confirmed that the offences are bailable, but expressed concern over Mokwa’s continued detention without formal charges.
As of Saturday, October 25, 2025, neither Governor Bago nor Niger State officials have responded to public inquiries about the arrest. Police have maintained that the investigation remains ongoing, while civil society organizations warn that the case represents a dangerous escalation in the suppression of democratic freedoms in Niger State.
