Why Five Men With ‘Tinubu Must Go’ T-Shirts Were Arrested — Police

The Borno State Police Command has clarified why five men arrested in Maiduguri over T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” were taken to court.

The Command said the men were not prosecuted solely because of the political message displayed on the shirts, but over allegations including inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit substances.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, the five men were arrested on September 25, 2026, during a routine township patrol around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.

The police said officers apprehended the suspects at about 6pm and subsequently conducted a search.

The search, according to the Command, resulted in the recovery of 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, a pair of scissors and two T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”

The suspects were subsequently subjected to preliminary investigation, during which the police said statements were obtained from them.

The Command said that after the initial investigation was completed, the case was charged to court.

The five men were earlier identified as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.

A First Information Report filed in connection with the case listed criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery among the alleged offences.

The police document alleged that the men conspired to print T-shirts bearing the “Tinubu Must Go” inscription with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout community.

The allegations remain subject to determination by the court.

The police also rejected suggestions that the arrest was motivated by the political views expressed through the T-shirts.

The Command described the Nigeria Police Force as a professional and non-partisan institution, saying it does not discriminate against people on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint.

It added that the judicial process would determine the matter based on the facts and evidence presented before the court.

The case has generated public debate, with Amnesty International and opposition figures criticising the arrests and arguing that peaceful political expression should not be criminalised.

The police, however, maintain that the prosecution concerns the broader allegations against the suspects and not simply the inscription on the T-shirts.