Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has criticised the security measures being deployed around campaign billboards bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and some governors, arguing that the same level of attention should have been devoted to protecting citizens from insecurity.
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Odinkalu’s criticism came as a separate viral video from Niger State showed coils of protective wire wrapped around the support of a large campaign billboard bearing the images of President Tinubu, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and other political figures.
Reacting to reports of security personnel being deployed around Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani’s campaign billboards, Odinkalu said the authorities appeared to have shown more urgency in protecting political campaign materials than in addressing the security concerns of residents.
“If the govt of @officialABAT & @ubasanius spent as much energy over the past 3 & a half yrs protecting the people of Kaduna State as they have spent in the past 3 & a half days to protect the billboards of both men, they’d have saved a lot of money on accomplishing the latter,” Odinkalu wrote on X.
His remarks followed reports that security personnel had been positioned around campaign billboards in Kaduna amid concerns that some of the structures could be vandalised as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election.
The debate subsequently widened after another video emerged from Niger State showing what appeared to be layers of protective wire wrapped around a pole supporting a large campaign billboard.
In the short video, an unidentified man filming the billboard could be heard reacting in apparent disbelief as he focused his camera on the wire surrounding the structure.
“Innalillahi,” he exclaimed.
The expression is commonly used among Hausa-speaking Muslims as an expression of shock, distress or disbelief. It is derived from the Arabic phrase “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” meaning, “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we return.”
@thenigerialawyerFrom Security Guards In Kaduna To Wire Barrier In Niger — Tinubu’s Campaign Billboards Spark Debate Ahead Of 2027
The man’s reaction appeared to reflect his surprise at the extent of the protective arrangement around the political billboard.
Although several social media users described the installation as an “electric fence,” the video itself only visibly establishes the presence of coils of wire around the billboard support. It does not, on its own, establish that electricity was connected to the wire.
The unusual sight nevertheless generated widespread reactions online.
Some commentators questioned why political campaign materials appeared to require such extensive protection, arguing that politicians should rely more on public acceptance arising from their performance in office.
One user remarked that if political leaders were performing well, members of the public should ordinarily be willing to protect or promote their campaign materials rather than seek to destroy them.
Another commentator questioned the priorities reflected in protecting a billboard with such barriers at a time when some communities continue to complain about inadequate basic services.
“Protecting a billboard with electric fences while basic services fail is the irony Niger State needs to see,” one social media user wrote, although the claim that the wire was electrified was not independently established.
Others took a different position, condemning the destruction of political campaign materials and arguing that opposition to a political party or candidate does not justify vandalism.
One commentator said the controversy demonstrated how deeply political intolerance had grown, accusing some opposition supporters of resorting to the destruction of posters instead of presenting alternative ideas.
Another user argued that individuals who vandalise campaign materials undermine democratic tolerance by behaving as though everyone must support the same candidate.
There were also allegations of double standards in the treatment of campaign materials belonging to ruling and opposition parties.
One commentator claimed that opposition posters had been removed in Lagos while campaign materials belonging to the ruling party were receiving protection elsewhere, questioning what he described as inconsistent standards.
Those allegations have not been independently established.
Other users expressed concern about the possible public safety implications of installing restrictive barriers around campaign billboards, particularly where such structures are located close to places accessible to members of the public.
Some comments went further by suggesting ways the billboard could still be damaged despite the wire. Such calls amount to encouragement of vandalism and do not establish any fact about the installation itself.
The Niger State video and the Kaduna controversy have now placed campaign billboard security under greater scrutiny as political activities intensify ahead of 2027.
While political parties and candidates are entitled to display lawful campaign materials and protect them against vandalism, the incidents have also generated debate over the proportionate use of security resources and the safety of physical barriers installed around campaign structures.
For Odinkalu, however, the broader issue remains one of priorities.
His criticism was that governments should demonstrate at least the same determination in protecting citizens from violence and insecurity as they appear to be showing in protecting campaign materials from possible destruction.
The unidentified man in the Niger State video expressed the controversy in far fewer words.
As he focused his camera on the wire surrounding the billboard, he simply exclaimed: “Innalillahi.”
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