The Borno State Police Command has arrested and arraigned five men in Maiduguri over allegations surrounding the printing and wearing of T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”
The development, which occurred amid heightened political activities ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, has generated controversy, particularly over the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the charges filed against the men.
According to a First Information Report (FIR) issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Maiduguri, and dated September 29, 2026, the five defendants are Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
The police alleged that the men conspired to print and wear the T-shirts around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri on September 25, 2026, at about 11:00 a.m., with the intention of causing a breach of public peace.
They were consequently charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery, offences the police said contravened Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.*
The five men were subsequently brought before the Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri, where they reportedly pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Their counsel subsequently applied for bail. Reports indicate that the court adjourned the matter until *October 6, 2026, for a ruling on the bail application, while the substantive case was reportedly fixed for October 26, 2026.
The defendants were reportedly remanded in a correctional facility pending further proceedings.
However, details surrounding the precise terms of the remand order and the conditions under which the men are being held have not been fully disclosed in the reports available.
The circumstances of the arrest have also attracted political attention.
A report citing an unnamed source alleged that the arrests followed a directive from Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, to the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid.
However, that allegation has not been independently verified, and the police FIR available in the reports does not establish that the governor personally ordered the arrests. The police document instead bases the charges on the alleged conduct of the five defendants and the purported intention to cause a breach of public peace.
The arrests have also triggered reactions from human-rights and opposition groups.
Amnesty International was reported to have condemned the detention, arguing that wearing a T-shirt expressing political dissent should not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence. However, one report noted that the statement attributed to Amnesty had not been independently verified at the time it was published.
The Borno State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) also condemned the arrests, describing them as an attack on political expression and alleging that the youths were detained for expressing opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Those claims represent the position of the party and have not been established by a court.
The case has renewed debate over the boundaries between freedom of political expression, public-order regulations and the powers of law-enforcement agencies during a period of increasing political mobilisation.
For now, the five men remain defendants in an ongoing criminal case, and the allegations against them have yet to be determined by the court.
The Borno State Police Command and the state government had not, in the reports reviewed, provided a detailed public explanation addressing the allegation that the arrests were ordered by Governor Zulum.
