BORNO, Nigeria — Amnesty International has rejected the Nigerian Police Force’s claim that five men arrested in Maiduguri while wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts were found in possession of drugs, describing the explanation as an attempt to justify their continued detention.
The development followed widespread outrage over the arrests, with the Borno State Police Command denying that the men were arrested because of their political views, reports Daily Trust.
In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, Nahum Daso Kenneth, said the Nigeria Police Force was a “professional, non-partisan institution” that did not discriminate against people on the basis of their political affiliation or viewpoint.
The police alleged that the men conspired to print and wear T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.
The command subsequently said the suspects were also found in possession of drugs, presenting the alleged drug possession as an additional basis for their arrest.
However, Amnesty International dismissed the drug allegation and accused the police of introducing a new narrative to justify the continued detention of the men.
The rights organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five suspects — Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed — arguing that expressing a dissenting political opinion is not, in itself, a criminal offence.
Amnesty accused the Borno State Police Command of making what it described as “bizarre and desperate attempts” to justify the arrests.
It said the decision to link the men to drugs and other alleged offences reflected what it called a “familiar playbook” for justifying political repression and undermining democratic freedoms.
“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.
The organisation argued that, without an identifiable criminal offence arising from the men’s political expression, the drug allegation appeared to be an additional attempt to build a case against them.
Amnesty maintained that citizens in Borno State and across Nigeria have the right to support or oppose political parties and candidates without fear of arrest or reprisal.
It further argued that constitutional protection for political expression was not limited to supporters of any particular party.
“The five men must be released immediately and unconditionally. Holding and expressing dissenting political opinion is not a crime,” the organisation said.
Amnesty also called on the police and Borno State Government to end what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition members and supporters.
It warned that continued arrests over peaceful political expression could further restrict civic space and freedom of expression in the state.
The five men were reportedly arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri, where they pleaded not guilty.
Their lawyers subsequently applied for bail, with the court expected to rule on the application on October 6. The substantive case was adjourned until October 26.
The police allegations and Amnesty International’s characterisation of the arrests remain contested, with the police maintaining that the suspects were arrested over alleged offences beyond merely wearing the “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts.
