The Borno State Police Command has arrested and charged five men in Maiduguri over their alleged involvement in printing and wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.”
The development was reported on September 29, 2026, with a police First Information Report cited in the report listing the alleged offences as criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.
The men were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
According to the police document, the men allegedly conspired to print the T-shirts and wore them with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.
The FIR stated that the alleged offences were contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The report said the men were subsequently taken before a court in Maiduguri and remanded in a correctional facility. However, the specific court proceedings and terms of the remand order had not been independently established at the time of reporting.
The arrests have attracted reactions from rights advocates. Amnesty International reportedly condemned the detention, arguing that wearing a shirt expressing political opposition should not, in itself, amount to a criminal offence. The organisation called for the men’s release and criticised the charges brought against them.
The Borno State Police Command’s case, as reflected in the FIR, centres on its allegation that the conduct was intended to cause a disturbance of public peace rather than simply the expression of a political opinion.
The case comes as political activity increases ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with competing political groups already stepping up mobilisation and public campaigning.
The development has consequently drawn attention to the balance between maintaining public order and protecting political expression as preparations for the next general elections intensify.
