Amnesty International has called for an investigation into remarks attributed to Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, after a video from a political gathering in Maiduguri sparked concerns over alleged voter intimidation.
Buba spoke on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at a campaign inauguration organised by the City Boy Movement as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In the video circulated online, the commissioner was heard making references to breaking or cutting the fingers of opponents and flogging those who refused to support the government.
Amnesty, in a statement issued on Monday, August 31, urged security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the remarks and take appropriate action if wrongdoing was established.
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The rights group said Nigerians must be free to choose their political parties and candidates without threats or coercion, warning political actors against rhetoric capable of provoking hostility or violence.
Buba has defended the remarks as figurative, denying that his comments constituted a literal threat against opposition supporters.
The controversy recalls the 2023 election dispute involving Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, after the Lagos State Police Command investigated a viral video in which he was accused of threatening voters who would not support the APC. Akinsanya later denied threatening Igbo voters.
Amnesty said it would continue to monitor and document alleged threats, incitement and other abuses before, during and after the 2027 elections.
The organization’s intervention has renewed attention on the need to protect voters from intimidation as political mobilization intensifies across the country.