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The arrest and prosecution of five men in Maiduguri, Borno State, over T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” have sparked a wider debate over freedom of political expression, public order and the limits of police powers in Nigeria.
The men — identified in court documents and media reports as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed — were arrested in Maiduguri on September 25, 2026. According to the Borno State Police Command, the case was not based solely on the political message printed on their shirts. Police said the suspects were arrested during a routine patrol around the West End Roundabout and were allegedly found with items including suspected Indian hemp, tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, scissors and two T-shirts carrying the “Tinubu Must Go” inscription.
The men were subsequently charged with offences including criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery under provisions of the Borno State Penal Code. Premium Times reported that the prosecution alleged that the defendants had conspired to print the shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout community in Maiduguri. The defendants pleaded not guilty, while a bail application was filed on their behalf.
The development has attracted criticism from opposition figures and rights groups. Amnesty International described the detention as arbitrary and argued that wearing clothing expressing political opposition should not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence. The organisation called for the men to be released and for the charges to be dropped, while urging the Borno authorities to respect freedom of expression and association.
Activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore also condemned the arrests. In a statement circulated after the incident, Sowore accused the Borno State Government and the police of engineering the detention because of the men’s opposition to President Bola Tinubu. He demanded that the charges be withdrawn and that the five men be released. Those allegations remain claims by Sowore; the Borno State Government and police have presented a different account, maintaining that the suspects were prosecuted over alleged public disturbance, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit substances, rather than simply because of the political message on the shirts.
The controversy therefore extends beyond the slogan itself to a broader question about how political dissent is handled in a democracy. While authorities have a responsibility to prevent genuine threats to public order and investigate alleged criminal conduct, the case has prompted renewed discussion about the constitutional protection of political expression and the need for law-enforcement action to be clearly grounded in evidence and due process. As the legal proceedings continue, the court will ultimately have to determine the allegations against the five defendants based on the evidence presented before it.
