5 men arrested and remanded in Borno over ‘Tinubu Must Go’ T-shirts

• Five men aged 21 to 44 have been charged in Maiduguri over T-shirts bearing the message “Tinubu Must Go".

• Police accused them of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.

• The defendants pleaded not guilty, while a ruling on their bail application is expected on October 6, 2026.

A political message printed on a T-shirt has landed five men in court in Maiduguri, Borno State, after police accused them of trying to cause a breach of public peace.

The men — Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21 — were arrested over T-shirts bearing the words “Tinubu Must Go.”

According to a First Information Report (FIR) issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Maiduguri, the incident happened at about 11 a.m. on September 25, 2026, around the West End Roundabout community.

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The police accused the five men of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.

The charges were brought under Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.

The police case, as contained in the FIR, is that the men conspired to print the shirts and wear them around the West End Roundabout with the intention of causing a breach of public peace.

The case was subsequently brought before Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri, where all five defendants pleaded not guilty, according to reports verified through court officials. Their lawyers then applied for bail.

The court has fixed October 6, 2026, for a ruling on the bail application, while the substantive case is scheduled for October 26. 

The arrests have since drawn criticism from Amnesty International, which said political dissent expressed through clothing should not, by itself, amount to a criminal offence.

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The rights organisation called for the men to be released and the charges against them to be dropped. Amnesty also accused the Borno authorities of using criminal law against political opposition — a characterisation that represents the organisation’s position, rather than a finding by the court. 

There is also an unverified claim surrounding how the arrests were ordered.

A source cited by SaharaReporters alleged that Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum directed the state Commissioner of Police, Commissioner Naziru Abdulmajid, to arrest the men over the shirts. That allegation has not been independently established, and the police FIR does not cite such a directive as the basis for the charges.

The case comes as political activity builds ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. The “Tinubu Must Go” slogan has previously appeared at anti-government protests, including demonstrations in which protesters carried placards with the same message.

For now, the central question before the court is not simply what was written on the shirts, but whether the prosecution can establish that the defendants’ actions amounted to the offences with which they have been charged.

The Borno State Police Command has not issued a public statement on the case. TheCable reported that its spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, did not respond to calls, SMS messages or WhatsApp messages seeking comment.

The five men remain defendants, and the allegations against them have yet to be determined by the court.