Controversy Erupts as Borno Police Arrest Youths Over 'Tinubu Must Go' T-Shirts

The Borno State Police Command has publicly addressed the arrest of five individuals in Maiduguri, who were initially apprehended for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Tinubu Must Go.” Following widespread public criticism regarding their decision to charge the men in court for this act, the police command issued a detailed statement on Wednesday, September 27, introducing new allegations of drug possession against the arrested individuals.

The five men, identified as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were arrested on September 25 during a routine patrol near the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri. According to the police statement, officers allegedly found them in possession of 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, and a pair of scissors. The statement, issued by the Borno police command’s spokesperson, Nahum Daso, marked the first comprehensive explanation from the police regarding the incident.

Initially, charges filed against the men, as seen by PREMIUM TIMES, accused them of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace, and thuggery, contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79, and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code Law. These charges specifically alleged that the men "conspired together by printing some T-shirts with some inscription written Tinubu Must Go on it, with the intent to cause breach of public peace within the West End Roundabout Community.” However, the detailed police statement on Wednesday also listed the recovery of two T-shirts bearing the contentious inscription from the suspects.

Notably, the police statement did not specify the court where the case was filed, nor did it provide details of the allegations relating to the suspected drugs within the context of the charges already filed against the men. Furthermore, it did not explain why the alleged drugs found on the suspects were not initially mentioned in the charges brought before the court, leading to questions about the timing and nature of these new allegations.

The arrests have drawn significant condemnation from human rights organizations, particularly Amnesty International. The organization accused Nigerian authorities of misusing the law to suppress peaceful political dissent, asserting that wearing a T-shirt expressing opposition to President Bola Tinubu does not constitute a crime. Amnesty International specifically criticized the "hurriedly remanding them in prison and accusing them bizarrely of ‘the intent to cause breach of public peace within West End Roundabout Community Maiduguri’ simply for wearing a T-shirt with a message of political dissent." The organization called for the immediate release of the five men and the withdrawal of all charges, urging Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s administration to uphold freedom of expression and association, emphasizing that political opposition is a fundamental human right.

In response to the criticism, the Borno police command defended its actions, stating that the Nigeria Police Force operates as a professional and non-partisan institution committed to protecting fundamental human rights, upholding the rule of law, ensuring due process, accountability, and transparency. Mr. Daso, the spokesperson, affirmed that taking the case to court was intended to allow the judicial process to determine the matter based on the evidence presented, urging the public to rely on verified information.