‘Tinubu Must Go’: Amnesty, Police Clash Over Arrest Of Five Men

Amnesty International has rejected the Nigeria Police Force’s claim that five men arrested in Maiduguri while wearing ‘Tinubu Must Go’ T-shirts were found with drugs.

The human rights organization said the drug allegation appeared to be a fresh attempt to justify the continued detention of the men.

Naija News reports that the five men, Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were arrested in Maiduguri, Borno State, after they were seen wearing the T-shirts.

Their arrest had sparked reactions, with Amnesty demanding their immediate and unconditional release.

The Borno State Police Command had earlier denied that the men were arrested because of their political views.

In a statement on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, Kenneth Daso, said the police was a professional and non-partisan institution that did not discriminate against people based on their political affiliation or views.

“The Command wishes to categorically state that the Nigeria Police Force is a professional, non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint,” Daso said.

The police alleged that the men had conspired to print and wear the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.

The command also claimed that the suspects were found in possession of drugs.

Amnesty, however, dismissed the explanation and accused the police of changing its account of the arrests.

The organization said the police had initially accused the men of inciting disturbance, breach of public peace and thuggery before introducing the drug allegation.

“Earlier, police accused the five men for alleged inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, and thuggery, and now linking them to drugs manifests a desperate attempt to punish them for their peaceful political activities,” Amnesty said.

It described the drug allegation as part of what it called a “familiar playbook” used to justify political repression and weaken democratic freedoms.

Amnesty said expressing a political opinion, whether in support of or against a political party or candidate, was not a criminal offence.

It called on the Borno State Police Command to stop what it described as attempts to justify the arrests and release the five men immediately.

“The five men must be released immediately and unconditionally. Holding and expressing dissenting political opinion is not a crime,” the organization said.

The rights group also called on the police and Borno State Government to stop what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition members and supporters.

It warned that continued arrests linked to peaceful political expression could further affect civic space and freedom of expression in the state.

The five men have reportedly been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Their lawyers subsequently applied for bail.

The court is expected to rule on the bail application on October 6, while the substantive case has been adjourned until October 26.

The police and Amnesty International have given different accounts of the circumstances surrounding the arrests.

While the police maintain that the suspects were arrested over alleged offences beyond wearing the T-shirts, Amnesty insists that the men’s political expression should not be treated as a crime.