Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Borno State chapter of the African Democratic Congress has condemned the arrest and detention of five men in Maiduguri for allegedly printing and wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go,” describing the action as undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a gross abuse of government institutions for partisan political witch-hunting.
In a press statement signed by the state ADC Publicity Secretary, Hon Baba Ahmed Mustapha, and made available to journalists on Tuesday night, the party said it received the news of the arrests with “utter dismay and shock.” The statement demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five men, a public apology to them and their families, and a call on the Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, to remain professional and not allow the police to be turned into a political wing of the ruling party.
The five 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 a First Information Report obtained by SaharaReporters, the police alleged that the five men conspired to print T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” with the intention of causing a breach of public peace within the West End Roundabout community in Maiduguri. The FIR, dated September 29, 2026, was issued from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Maiduguri, and addressed to the Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri. It listed the alleged offences as criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery, contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code. The document stated that the incident occurred on September 25 at about 11:00 a.m. When the case was brought before the Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri, all five defendants pleaded not guilty. Their legal counsel moved a bail application, and the presiding judge adjourned the matter to October 6, 2026, for a ruling on bail, while the substantive trial was slated for October 26, 2026.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters alleged that the arrests followed a directive from Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, to the state Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, to arrest the men over the T-shirts. The allegation has not been independently verified, and the Borno State Government has not issued a formal response to the claim.
The ADC’s condemnation was sweeping and categorical. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this undemocratic, unconstitutional, and provocative act of intolerance,” Mustapha said. “This action is not only shameful but also a gross abuse of government institutions for partisan political witch-hunting.” The party anchored its objection on three grounds. First, it argued that the arrests violated Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees every citizen freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas. “Wearing a T-shirt with a political inscription is a legitimate exercise of this right,” the statement said. Second, it argued that the arrests were undemocratic because democracy thrives on dissent and the right to peacefully demand, criticise, or call for the removal of any elected official through lawful means is the bedrock of democracy. “Criminalising a political slogan shows fear and intolerance, not strength,” Mustapha said. Third, it described the arrests as an abuse of office, saying the use of the police and other security agencies to arrest youths for expressing a political view was a misuse of state power and an attempt to intimidate the people of Borno into silence.
The party also drew a pointed historical parallel. “We in the ADC find it ironic that a party that rode to power on the back of protest, criticism, and freedom of expression is now turning around to gag the same freedom for ordinary Nigerians, especially our youths who are already burdened by hunger, insecurity, and unemployment,” the statement read. The ADC called on civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, and all lovers of democracy to condemn the arrests, and assured the people of Borno State that it would continue to stand for their rights. “No amount of intimidation will silence the voice of the people. An injury to one youth is an injury to all Nigerian youths,” Mustapha said.
The arrests have drawn widespread condemnation beyond the ADC. Amnesty International issued a strongly worded statement describing the charges against the men as “bizarre” and labelling their detention an act of arbitrary arrest. “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 peaceful political dissent is not a crime,” the organisation said. Amnesty noted that the Borno State Government and the police have increasingly been carrying out repressive arrests and detentions targeting opposition political parties and their supporters, and accused the authorities of resorting to the familiar playbook of using the law to criminalise peaceful dissent and silence opposition. “The government of Babagana Umara Zulum must not engage in restricting dissent and unleashing the punitive power of the state on political opponents,” Amnesty said, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees and urging the authorities to drop what it described as a “sham trial based on bogus charges.” The organisation stressed that the right to show and express political opinion is not exclusive to only one political party.
The police have not issued a separate statement on the matter. The Police Public Relations Officer for the Borno State Command, ASP Kenneth Daso, did not respond to inquiries sent to him at the time of the reports, and efforts by correspondents to obtain his comments were unsuccessful. The police document cited by SaharaReporters specifically links the alleged offence to the printing and wearing of the T-shirts and claims that the men’s actions were intended to cause a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout. The FIR stated that the men conspired to print the T-shirts and thereby committed offences contrary to the Borno State Penal Code.
The arrests come amid heightened political activity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Governor Zulum recently returned from a trip to the United States and Canada and launched an APC mobilisation campaign in Borno in support of President Bola Tinubu and other party candidates. The “Tinubu Must Go” slogan has featured in protests and political demonstrations across Nigeria, and the Borno case has become the latest flashpoint in a broader national debate over the boundaries of political expression and the treatment of dissent under the current administration. In September 2026, lawyers across Nigeria raised the alarm over threats, intimidation and political violence targeting citizens perceived to be supporting opposition parties, warning that the conduct of public officials and their supporters was eroding confidence in the electoral process. The ADC itself had earlier presented a memorandum documenting attacks on opposition members across at least nine states, accusing security agencies of failing to investigate and prosecute perpetrators.
For the five men in custody, the coming weeks will determine whether they are granted bail and whether the substantive trial proceeds. Their case has become a test of whether the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression extends to the wearing of a T-shirt bearing a political slogan, and whether the Borno State Police Command can demonstrate that the arrests were motivated by a genuine concern for public order rather than political considerations. As the ADC put it, “An injury to one youth is an injury to all Nigerian youths.” For a state that has borne the brunt of insurgency for more than a decade, the prosecution of five young men over a slogan on their clothing will be watched closely as a measure of how far the boundaries of acceptable political conduct have shifted in Nigeria’s evolving democracy.
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