Five Nigerian men arrested in Borno State for wearing T-shirts with the inscription "Tinubu Must Go" have been granted bail by a court. The men, identified as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abbacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were arrested in Maiduguri on September 25. They were charged with alleged criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace, and thuggery under Sections 60, 78, 79, and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, disclosed the bail granting in a statement on Tuesday. Rufai thanked the lawyers representing the defendants, saying they had "stood firmly for justice" and demonstrated that expressing a political opinion was not a crime. The ADC and other critics have questioned the circumstances surrounding the arrests, alleging that the men were targeted for expressing opposition to President Bola Tinubu.
The Borno State Police Command had said the men were arrested during a routine patrol around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri and that officers recovered 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, scissors, and two T-shirts bearing the "Tinubu Must Go" inscription. The Command has maintained that the arrests were not based solely on the political message on the T-shirts, insisting that the suspects were apprehended over alleged conduct capable of causing public disturbance.
Rufai criticised the Borno State Police Command over its handling of the case, accusing it of prioritising the arrest of the youths while Boko Haram continued to pose a security threat in the state. He also criticised the treatment of police officers deployed to enforce the arrests, arguing that they were themselves affected by governance failures. The ADC youth leader called on the Borno State Government and security agencies to drop what he described as "fabricated charges" against the five men.
The arrest had sparked criticism from opposition politicians, rights activists, and groups. On October 1, lawyer and rights activist Hamza N. Dantani petitioned Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu over the arrest, detention, and prosecution of the men. Dantani questioned what he described as possible selective enforcement by the Borno State Police Command, particularly in relation to remarks allegedly made by Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sayyina Buba, at a public gathering.
The police have repeatedly denied acting on political grounds. In its statement defending the arrests, the Borno Command described the Nigeria Police Force as a "professional, non-partisan institution" that does not discriminate against people based on their political affiliation or viewpoint. Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has also denied ordering the arrest of the men, saying he neither authorised nor directed the arrest of opposition politicians or people criticising his administration.
The ADC is demanding that the criminal charges against the five men be dropped entirely. Rufai vowed that the ADC would continue to campaign against Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections. The five men's arrest had sparked a fresh public display of the "Tinubu Must Go" slogan in Maiduguri, with dozens of youths taking to the streets wearing white T-shirts bearing the inscription and marching through parts of the city in solidarity with the arrested men.
Key points
- The five men arrested in Borno State for wearing "Tinubu Must Go" T-shirts have been granted bail by a court.
- The African Democratic Congress has demanded that the criminal charges against the five men be dropped entirely.
- The arrest has sparked concerns about freedom of expression and allegations of selective enforcement by the Borno State Police Command.
