Amnesty condemns arrest, detention of five men over ‘Tinubu Must Go’ t-shirts

Amnesty International has spoken out against the arrest and imprisonment of five men in Maiduguri, Borno State, for wearing T-shirts with the message, "Tinubu Must Go." The individuals involved were Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed. Amnesty stated that the men were charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, and thuggery.

The organization firmly believes that expressing political dissent through clothing should not be considered a criminal act. Amnesty emphasized that political opposition and the free expression of political views are essential human rights. The group urged authorities to release the five men and discontinue any prosecution on what they believe are unfounded charges.

They also criticized the Borno State government and police for increasingly targeting opposition political parties and their supporters through arrests and detention. Amnesty called upon the government of Babagana Umara Zulum and security agencies to uphold freedom of expression, association, and the rule of law. Despite Amnesty's perspective, police documents cited by SaharaReporters claim that the suspects allegedly aimed to cause public disturbance around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri and cite specific sections of the Borno State Penal Code.