The arrest and prosecution of five men in Maiduguri over their alleged involvement in activities surrounding the “Tinubu Must Go” campaign has sparked a disagreement between the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Borno State Police Command.
While Atiku’s campaign council and opposition groups condemned the arrests as an attempt to suppress political expression ahead of the 2027 elections, the police maintained that the men were arrested over alleged public disturbance, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit substances, rather than for wearing the T-shirts.
The five men were arrested on September 25, 2026, around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri and were subsequently taken to court.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the Borno State Government of abusing its powers and urged Nigerians not to be intimidated from participating in the 2027 electoral process.
“Nigerians have the constitutional right to express their political preferences and opinions, including calls to vote for the party and candidate of their choice in 2027,” the council said.
It argued that the slogan “Tinubu Must Go” constituted political expression and should not, on its own, be treated as a criminal offence.
The council further alleged that the arrests were targeted at opposition supporters and warned that such actions would not prevent Nigerians from exercising their franchise.
“The intimidation of citizens through arrest and other unlawful means will not deter the people from voting out President Bola Tinubu in the January 16, 2027, election,” it added.
The Borno State chapter of the ADC also condemned the arrests, with its Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Mustapha, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the five men.
Mustapha alleged that the arrests amounted to an attack on the constitutional rights of the youths.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Borno State condemns in totality the Gestapo-like arrest and unlawful detention of five innocent youths whose only offence was wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go’,” he said.
Similarly, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in the state, Aliyu Balarabe, called for the release of the suspects, saying opposition voices should not be intimidated.
“We condemned their arrest in totality. The use of force in Borno State will not be sustained,” Balarabe said.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International also criticised the arrests, identifying the men as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
The organisation said the men were arrested around the West End Roundabout and questioned the basis for their detention over the political message on their clothing.
Amnesty International called for their release and opposed any prosecution based solely on their expression of political dissent.
The police, however, gave a different account of the circumstances leading to the arrests.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Borno State, ASP Nahum Daso, said the suspects were intercepted by officers during a routine township patrol at about 6pm on September 25.
According to him, the officers arrested the men over alleged conduct capable of causing public disturbance and subsequently recovered suspected illicit drugs and other items from them.
The police listed the recovered items as 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, a pair of scissors and two T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”
“The suspects were found in possession of 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, one shisha pot, one pair of scissors, two T-shirts bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go’,” Daso said.
He said the suspects were subjected to preliminary investigation and their statements obtained before the case was taken to court.
“Upon completion of the initial investigation, the case was charged to court,” the police spokesman added.
The Command rejected suggestions that it discriminated against the suspects because of their political views, insisting that the Nigeria Police Force remained non-partisan.
“The command remains committed to the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities,” Daso said.
He explained that taking the case before a competent court was intended to allow the judicial process to determine the facts and evidence surrounding the allegations.
“The decision to charge the matter before a competent court is intended to allow the appropriate judicial process to take its course,” he said.
The police consequently urged members of the public to rely on verified information and allow the court to determine the case based on the evidence presented before it.
