Police, Amnesty Clash Over ‘Tinubu Must Go’ Arrests

A dispute has emerged between the Borno State Police Command and Amnesty International over the arrest of five men in Maiduguri for wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go,” with the two sides offering conflicting accounts of the circumstances.

The men, Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were arrested on September 25 and arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court, where they entered not guilty pleas.

Facing public criticism over the arrests, the Borno State Police Command denied that political affiliation motivated the operation.

“The Command wishes to categorically state that the Nigeria Police Force is a professional, non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint,” Police Public Relations Officer Nahum Daso Kenneth said.

The police accused the men of conspiring to print and wear the T-shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of the city.

They also said the suspects were found in possession of drugs.

Amnesty International, however,  rejected the police account, describing the drug allegation as a newly introduced narrative intended to justify the men’s continued detention.

“Earlier, police accused the five men for alleged inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, and thuggery, and now linking them to drugs manifests a desperate attempt to punish them for their peaceful political activities,” the organisation said, as reported by Daily Trust.

Amnesty said no recognisable criminal offence arose from the men’s political expression and described the drug claim as an additional attempt to build a case against them.

It called on the police command to end what it called “bizarre and desperate attempts” to justify the arrests.

Amnesty demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five men, insisting that expressing a dissenting political opinion is not a criminal offence.

The organisation said citizens in Borno State and across Nigeria have the right to support or oppose political parties and candidates without fear of arrest or reprisal, adding that freedom of political expression is not constitutionally reserved for supporters of any particular party.

“The five men must be released immediately and unconditionally. Holding and expressing dissenting political opinion is not a crime,” Amnesty said.

The rights group also urged the Nigeria Police and the Borno State Government to halt what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition members and supporters, warning that such actions could further restrict civic space and freedom of expression in the state.

Lawyers for the men have filed a bail application. The court is expected to rule on the application on October 6, while the substantive case was adjourned to October 26.