The Borno State Police Command has broken its silence on the arrest and prosecution of five men in Maiduguri over T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go,” saying officers also recovered substances suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot and scissors from the suspects.
The Command made the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday following public reactions to the arrest and prosecution of the five men, whose case was previously reported by SaharaReporters.
According to the police, the suspects were arrested on September 25, 2026, during a routine township patrol around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri.
The Command said the men were apprehended over alleged conduct capable of causing public disturbance.
“On 25 September, 2026, at about 1800hrs, officers of the Command, while on a routine township patrol around West End Roundabout area Maiduguri, apprehended five suspects allegedly involved in conduct capable of causing public disturbance,” the statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, said.
The police said a search conducted on the suspects resulted in the recovery of 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, one shisha pot, one pair of scissors and two T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”
The suspects were subsequently subjected to preliminary investigation, during which the police said statements were obtained from them.
“Upon completion of the initial investigation, the case was charged to court,” the Command said.
The clarification followed an earlier report that the five men had been arrested and charged in connection with the T-shirts.
The suspects were identified in the First Information Report, FIR, obtained by ChroniclesReporters as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
The FIR, dated September 29, 2026, was issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Maiduguri, and addressed to the Chief Magistrate Court in the city.
It listed the alleged offences as criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.
According to the FIR, the five men allegedly conspired to print T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” with the intention of causing a breach of public peace within the West End Roundabout community in Maiduguri.
The police document cited Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The FIR stated: “On 25/09/26 at about 1100 hours, you Baba Aji Gremami, male; Mustapha Abba Yemen, male; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, male; Adam Umar Gubio, male and Abdulhamid Mohammed, male, conspired together by printing same T shirt with some inscription written ‘Tinubu Must Go’ on it with the intent to cause breach of public peace within West End roundabout community, thereby, you all committed an offence contrary to Section 60, 78, 79 and 392 of Borno State Penal Code.”
The police had directed that the case be taken to court.
A source had also said the five men were subsequently taken to court and remanded in a correctional facility.
However, in its latest statement, the Borno State Police Command sought to distance the arrests and prosecution from political discrimination, insisting that the Nigeria Police Force is a non-partisan institution.
“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,” the statement said.
The Command added that it remained committed to “the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability and transparency” in the discharge of its duties.
The police said the decision to charge the suspects before a competent court was intended to allow the judicial process to determine the matter.
“The Borno State Police Command remains committed to professionalism, impartiality, accountability and the protection of lives and property,” it said.
The arrests have attracted public attention because of the political nature of the slogan on the T-shirts, particularly as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections.
The “Tinubu Must Go” slogan has featured in protests and political demonstrations in Nigeria, with critics of President Bola Tinubu using it to demand his exit from office.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also recently called for the release of Nigerians reportedly arrested in Borno over the T-shirts, describing the slogan as political expression.
The police statement, however, gives a different emphasis to the circumstances surrounding the arrest, saying the five men were apprehended during a routine patrol and that officers recovered the alleged drug substances and other items in addition to the two T-shirts.
The allegations contained in the police statement and FIR remain subject to determination by the court.