Amnesty International has rejected the Nigeria Police Force’s claim that five men arrested in Maiduguri while wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts were also found with drugs, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
The rights group said the drug allegation appeared to be a fresh attempt to justify the continued detention of the men, who were arrested in Borno State amid controversy over their political expression.
The five suspects are Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
Their arrest sparked criticism after they were accused of printing and wearing the T-shirts around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.
The Borno State Police Command, however, denied that the arrests were politically motivated.
Police spokesman, ASP Kenneth Daso, said the Nigeria Police Force remained a professional and non-partisan institution and did not discriminate against people based on their political affiliation or views.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly conspired to print and wear the shirts with the intention of causing a breach of public peace.
The command later added that the men were also allegedly found in possession of drugs.
Amnesty, however, disputed that account, accusing the police of changing or expanding its explanation for the arrests.
The organisation said the suspects were initially accused of inciting disturbance, breach of public peace and thuggery, before the drug allegation was introduced.
Amnesty described the development as an attempt to build additional justification for keeping the men in detention.
“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,” the organisation said.
The rights group maintained that citizens have the right to support or oppose political parties and candidates, arguing that expressing a dissenting political opinion should not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence.
It therefore called on the Borno police and state government to end what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention linked to political expression.
Amnesty also warned that continued arrests over peaceful political activities could further restrict civic space and freedom of expression in the state.
The five men have since been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri, where they pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers applied for bail, with the court expected to rule on the application on October 6, while the substantive case was adjourned to October 26.
The case has therefore developed into a direct dispute over the circumstances surrounding the arrests: the police maintain that the suspects committed offences beyond merely wearing the anti-Tinubu shirts, while Amnesty argues that the arrests amount to punishment for peaceful political dissent.
Don’t Miss Out! Join our WhatsApp Channel for instant news updates. Click here to join
