By Bashir Aliyu
Omoyele Sowore founder of Sahara Reporters and human rights campaigner has recently become a hero in northern Nigeria particularly in Bauchi where the activist engaged in heated social media spat over the detention of a lecturer over social media post about son of Bauchi State Governor, Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammad.
The lecturer was detained on 11th June 2025 after honoring a police invitation and was immediately detained, charged to court, and denied bail.
Fighting alone against a powerful son of the governor, Dr Abubakar Ahmed soon discovered that he bit more than he could chew. Sowore quickly got into the issue, calling on Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammad to free the lecturer, and accused the governor’s son of acting like an emperor due to his apparent involvement in the plight of the lecturer.
The spat escalated on 26th June Barrister Hussaini Saraki petitioned IGP Egbotokun to arrest Sowore accusing him of cyber-bullying his client.
A day after, Sowore vowed to press on with his campaign to free Dr Abubakar who had been in detention for three weeks. Sowore accused Justice Rabi Talatu Umar of land grab. He kept escalating the matter by publishing more documents of systematic land ownership by family members of Governor Bala Muhammad, including his sons, Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammad, Abdullahi Bala Muhammad
The revelation widely believed to be leaked by a mole who had an unfettered access to state file shocked Bauchi state and wildly trended on social media.
Social media was filled to the brim with divergent views about why Shamsuddeen made a mistake by messing with Sowore in the first place.
“I think this man is hired to damage Shamsuddeen faking activism,” commented Abdul Anas
“Shamsuddeen should please free this lecturer, if not Sowore will only keep climbing the escalating ladder”, another Facebook user, Idris, warned.
Dr Abubakar Ahmad gained more sympathy from people far beyond Bauchi, and the growing public outcry heaped more pressure on Shamsuddeen and Bauchi State Government.
An insider close to Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammad confided in Daily Review that Shamsuddeen was not against the release of the lecturer. But he was not willing to let Sowore control the narrative and undermine his political standing. So, he had to appear strong when necessary.
Despite calls for Shamsuddeen to let go of the matter, and withdraw the case, Shamsuddeen insisted that the lecturer went too far by invading his privacy by publishing videos of him dancing at a party and another about his wife surprising him with what appeared to be a surprised birthday gift.
Sowore soon deployed another tactic in his offensive against Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammad. Accusing the governor of land grab, giving controls to companies associated with family members. He started using Hausa for the first time to further reach Hausa audience, calling people of Bauchi state to take back their state from family dynasty.
“It was a difficult week for Bauchi State Government,” said Farooq Yahya, a Facebook user.
“The leakage of this state files sent shockwaves across Bauchi State Government officials not because there are any laws violated in most of the documents released by Sowore, but because the governor trusted a wrong person who betrayed him by leaking documents about his family that could be used by the opposition against Shamsuddeen,” he added.
Shamsuddeen Bala who is widely believed to have an ambition for Bauchi South Senatorial District.
Despite speculations about who is behind the leak, nobody claims responsibility for the leakage.
With pressure mounting on Shamsuddeen to withdraw the case, Barrister Hussaini Saraki, a lawyer representing Shamsuddeen Bala told Daily Review that his client was not against releasing Dr Abubakar Ahmed anymore and they no longer had objection to his bail as long as he fulfils his bail conditions.
On 2 July, Sowore took to his social media followers that Dr Abubakar Ahmed was released on bail, marking the end of the ordeal for the lecturer.
Thousands of people praised Omoyele Sowore for standing up for justice and making sure Nigerian citizens are not subjected to power abuse by policians who wield enormous power.
While Dr. Ahmad’s release has been widely been interpreted as a victory for free speech, there is fear that other critics of the state government may also be targeted.
Hassan Nasiru, a staunch supporter of Governor Bala Muhammad’s visions said the state should be careful not to fall into a political trap which could be used by the opposition to de-market him.
“I did not support Dr Abubakar Ahmad’s detention even though I morally disagreed with how he invaded a person’s privacy by posting his private videos on social media, my problem is this detention could easily be weaponized by APC to make it look like Governor Bala is cracking down on free speech. We should not fall into this trap,” he said.
A lot of people warn that the misuse of state institutions to intimidate critics remains a pressing issue. Meanwhile, Sowore’s role has further cemented his reputation as a relentless advocate—though his methods continue to polarize public opinion.
Dr. Abubakar Ahmad’s release marks the end of one chapter, but the broader struggle against oppression and unchecked power persists. As Nigerians dissect this saga, one thing is clear: in the age of social media, no battle is fought in silence—and sometimes, public pressure can tip the scales of justice.
