The Borno State Police Command has offered a fresh account of the arrest of five men linked to T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go”. It said the prosecution was not based solely on the political message printed on the clothing.
The clarification followed public controversy after the men were arrested in Maiduguri and arraigned on charges including criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, said in a statement on Wednesday that the suspects were picked up during a routine township patrol around West End Roundabout at about 6pm on September 25.
According to Daso, police officers allegedly found the men with suspected illicit substances and other items, alongside two T-shirts carrying the anti-Tinubu inscription.
“The suspects were found in possession of: 1. 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp; 2. 100 tablets suspected to be D5; 3. One shisha pot; 4. One Scissors; 5. Two T-shirts bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go,’” the statement said.
The police said preliminary investigations followed the arrests, including the recording of statements from the suspects, before the case was taken to court.
The Command specifically said the men were prosecuted over allegations involving incitement, public disturbance, thuggery and possession of suspected drug substances, rather than simply for displaying a political message.
“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.
It added that the police were committed to “the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability and transparency” in carrying out their duties.
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The Command’s explanation adds a new element to a case that had initially attracted attention because of the political slogan.
A First Information Report reported by Premium Times had identified the five defendants as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abbacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
The document alleged that they had conspired to print the shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout community.
The charges were filed under Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code, according to the report.
The police clarification also introduces a timing detail that differs from the earlier court account. While the latest statement places the patrol arrest at about 6 p.m .on September 25, the reported First Information Report puts the alleged shirt-related incident at about 11 a.m. that day. The distinction is significant because the two accounts describe different stages of the episode.
The five men have not been convicted of any offence. The allegations remain matters before the court.
The case has also attracted intervention from rights advocates and opposition figures.
Amnesty International condemned the arrests. It maintained that wearing clothing expressing political opposition should not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence. The organisation called for the release of the men and withdrawal of what it described as charges arising from peaceful political dissent.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also called for their release. Through his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said that if the political slogan was the basis for their detention, the authorities should explain how wearing such a shirt constituted an offence.
The police, however, have now placed the case in a different frame. Its account is that officers encountered the men during patrol and allegedly recovered suspected Indian hemp, tablets, a shisha pot, scissors and the two T-shirts.
That distinction matters because possession of suspected controlled substances and allegations of public disturbance are separate issues from the expression printed on a shirt. Whether the recovered items belonged to the suspects, whether they constitute offences and whether the alleged conduct amounted to public disturbance are questions that must be tested through the judicial process.
The controversy therefore now has two distinct strands: the protection of political expression and the criminal allegations attached to the arrests.
The police said the case was taken to court precisely to allow the allegations to undergo judicial examination, while asking the public to avoid relying on unverified accounts.
As the matter proceeds, the central question will not simply be what the five men wore, but what evidence the prosecution presents to establish the additional allegations cited by the police.
Until the court determines the case, the five men are entitled to be treated as defendants facing allegations, not as convicted offenders.
