A staff of BudgIT Moses Motoni, who was arrested by the police has been released BudgIT says. Though it was immediately clear when he was released but he was arrested on the 5th of December 2017 in Niger State.

Motoni is a Project Tracking Officer, he had visited Bida, Niger South Senatorial District to sensitise the community members on the zonal intervention projects awarded to their constituency in the 2017 Budget. The exact project was the “installation of transformers and electrification of the following communities: Nowanya-Tawadzuru tiffin-Emitswachi-Tawadzuru Tako in Gbako LGA, Niger South Senatorial District, Niger State-N25m)” as stated in the 2017 Appropriation Act.

He was said to have encouraged the community members to engage their representatives at the National Assembly and ensure the budgeted projects  are implemented. Shortly after the town hall meeting in Bida, Senator Sani Mohammed put a phone call through to our PTO, Moses Motoni inviting him to a meeting in his house which he declined as there were instructions that BudgIT tracking personnel are not allowed to meet with public officials privately.

However, on the 5th December 2017, Moses received an SMS instructing him to pick up a DHL parcel at Markafi market in Kaduna. Unknown  our PTO, it was a decoy by the Nigerian Police Force to apprehend him. Upon arrival, he was forcefully taken into a car, handcuffed,  maltreated  and driven off by SARS Officials who disguised as DHL personnel.

BudgIT was distraught at the development considering Moses Motoni was merely exercising his rights as a citizen in a democratic nation like Nigeria.  It is important to note that public information is the right of every Nigerian citizen vis a vis public funds meant for developmental projects.

The police have said in a statement that Motoni was “inciting public disturbance” and is being released on bail.

BudgIT says it wants citizens to always hold their elected representatives accountable and ask questions at all time.