The Emir of Missau’s palace in Bauchi State has come under intense criticism after a viral video showed palace guards brutally flogging a teenager, Yakubu Mohammad Missau, for allegedly questioning the emir’s leadership style.
In the footage, Yakubu could be seen writhing in pain as uniformed guards beat him repeatedly. He was later dragged to the Missau Police Station, where he was reportedly detained for four days without charge.
Upon his release, Yakubu was allegedly coerced into recording staged videos in which he praised the police for “taking good care” of him in detention and exonerated Emir Ahmad Suleiman from involvement in the abuse. Rights campaigners say these recordings were forced in a bid to cover up the ordeal.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil society groups and human rights defenders calling for accountability.
Prominent activist Abba Hikima, in a Facebook post, described the treatment as “barbaric and unacceptable,” insisting that both the Emir of Missau and the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police must compensate Yakubu.
“What happened to Yakubu is nothing short of impunity and oppression,” Hikima declared.
Rights advocates note that the Missau case highlights a disturbing trend of human rights violations involving both traditional authorities and state security agencies. Across northern Nigeria, palace guards are frequently accused of acting as enforcers for monarchs, often meting out corporal punishment against critics.
Similarly, the Nigerian police have faced longstanding allegations of arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced confessions—abuses that fueled the #EndSARS protests of 2020.
Critics argue that the Missau case underscores how traditional and state institutions sometimes collude to suppress dissent through intimidation, detention, and public shaming.
Civil society organizations are demanding an independent probe, the prosecution of the palace guards involved, and accountability from both Emir Ahmad Suleiman and the Bauchi State Police Command.
When contacted, police spokesperson Mohammed Wakil said:
“The case was not officially reported to the Command; we only became aware of it through social media, and no one is in our detention facility.”
Rights campaigners maintain that Yakubu’s ordeal must not be swept under the carpet.
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