BY: ABDULKADIR M LAWAN, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026/ 06:51PM
Amnesty International has condemned the arrest and detention of five men by the Borno State Police Command for wearing T-shirts with the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” in Maiduguri.
The men were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
According to the organization, the five were hurriedly remanded in prison and accused of 'the intent to cause breach of public peace within West End Roundabout Community, Maiduguri' for wearing shirts bearing a message of political dissent.
Amnesty International described the detention as arbitrary and unlawful, stating that wearing a T-shirt with a political message is not a crime.
'Asserting political opposition is part of human rights. The authorities must immediately release all of those detained and drop any purported plan to put them through a sham trial based on bogus charges. The right to show and express political opinion is not exclusive to only one political party,' the organization said.
The rights group further alleged that the Borno State Government and the police have increasingly carried out repressive arrests and detentions targeting opposition political parties and their supporters.
'Authorities in Borno State have resorted to the familiar playbook of using the law to criminalize peaceful dissent and silence opposition,’ Amnesty International said.
It called on the government of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum to desist from cracking down on peaceful dissent and to uphold the rights of all citizens to freedom of expression and association in line with the rule of law.
As of the time of filing this report, the Borno State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement on the arrests.