Five Arraigned in Maiduguri Over 'Tinubu Must Go' Shirts as Amnesty Demands Release
Five men have appeared before a Maiduguri court after the Borno State Police Command arrested and charged them over T-shirts said to read "Tinubu Must Go". The men are accused of printing and wearing the shirts.
Court officials confirmed the details of a First Information Report drawn up by the State Criminal Investigation Department. The five suspects are Baba Aji Gremami, aged 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, aged 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, aged 32; Adam Umar Gubio, aged 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, aged 21.
Dated September 29, 2026, the report says the alleged conduct took place on September 25 at about 11:00 a.m. in the area of the West End Roundabout community in the Borno State capital.
The charges brought by police are criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery. Prosecutors argue these offences are contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
All five denied the allegations when the matter came up before Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri, and their lawyer followed with an application for bail. The judge handling the case put off a bail ruling until October 6, 2026, and fixed the main trial for October 26, 2026.
News of the prosecution over the politically themed shirts has drawn wide criticism, with social media users and Amnesty International among those speaking out strongly.
Critics have alleged that a prominent state politician was behind the arrests in a bid to weaken political opposition, though the claim could not be independently confirmed.
Amnesty International faulted the charges as bizarre and described the detention as arbitrary. According to the organisation, peaceful political dissent expressed through clothing is a basic human right and should not be treated as a crime.
"Clearly, the intention of this reign of repression in Borno State appears to be selective injustice to curtail the opposition in the political space," the statement said.
"It is sadly creating a toxic climate of fear that is contrary to the democratic principles of freedom and justice," it added.
Amnesty International pressed for the detainees to be freed immediately and without conditions, and asked the authorities to abandon what it called a "sham trial based on bogus charges." The group repeated its position that a democratic society must safeguard, rather than suppress, the right to express political views peacefully.
Online discussion of the arrests has been intense as well, with users of social media platforms describing the police action as an abuse of power and a setback for free expression.
At the time the report was put together, efforts to reach the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, for comment had not yielded a response.
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