The Borno State Police Command arrested and charged five men to court for allegedly wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go’, having been accused of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbing public peace and thuggery
Penpushing reports that the accused include Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed, while the charges alleged that the five men conspired together by printing some T-shirts with some inscription written Tinubu Must Go on it, with the intent to cause breach of public peace within the West End Roundabout Community.
The alleged offences were said to be contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code Law, however,the Command as at the time of filing this report has not issued an official statement on the alleged arrests and charges.
Penpushing further reports that insame vein, the Command Public Relations Officer Nahum Daso, has remained silence on the development, but Rights group Amnesty International, in a statement, condemned the arbitrary detention of the five men, arguing that wearing a T-shirt expressing political opposition does not constitute a crime.
“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 political dissent is not a crime,” the rights group said.
Penpushing also reports that the amnesty international called on the authorities to release the men and drop the charges against them,arguing that the authorities in Borno state have resorted to the familiar playbook of using the law to criminalize peaceful dissent and silence opposition.
The organisation equally accused the Borno State Government and the police of increasingly targeting opposition parties and their supporters through arrests and detentions, and urged Governor Babagana Zulum to respect freedom of expression and association and uphold the rule of law.
Penpushing reports that the human rights body pointed out that political opposition is part of human rights adding that the right to express political opinions should not be limited to supporters of one political party.
The Borno State Police Command in an update said five men arrested in Maiduguri were also found with suspected cannabis, a shisha pot, tablets and other items, explaining that they were were arrested on September 25, 2026 during a routine patrol around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
Penpushing further reports that the police in the statement said the officers allegedly found the suspects with 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot and a pair of scissors.
The Command spokesperson statement came following public criticism of its actions,however, the police did not specify the court where the case was filed or provide details of the allegations relating to the suspected drugs, and did not explain why the alleged drugs found on the suspect were not mentioned in the charges filed against them.
Penpushing also reports that the statement added that the items recovered from the suspects included two T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go’, adding that statements were obtained from the suspects during the investigation and the case was subsequently filed before a court.
The Police Force said it is a professional and non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against people based on their political affiliation or view, stressing that it remains committed to the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities,.
Penpushing reports that Daso explained that taking the case to court was intended to allow the judicial process to determine the matter based on the evidence presented, and urged members of the public to rely on verified information and allow the court to determine the case.
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