Five men have been arrested for wearing T-shirts bearing the caption, “Tinubu Must Go,” in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
According to Amnesty International in a statement on Tuesday, the arrested men are Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
It condemned the arrests, stating that wearing a T-shirt with a message of political dissent is not a crime and that expressing political opposition is part of human rights.
The rights organisation demanded the unconditional release of the men, urging the authorities to drop any purported plan to put them through a sham trial based on bogus charges.
“The right to show and express political opinion is not exclusive to only one political party.
“Borno State Government and the police have increasingly been carrying out repressive arrests and detentions targeting opposition political parties and their supporters,” it said.
The rights group said authorities in Borno are using the law to criminalise peaceful dissent and silence opposition.
It said the government of Babagana Zulum must not crack down on peaceful dissent or use state power against political opponents.
Amnesty added that the government must uphold everyone’s rights to freedom of expression and association and respect the rule of law.
