The arrest of five men in Maiduguri over T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” has taken an unexpected turn, with Nigerians in different parts of the country adopting the same slogan in solidarity with the defendants.
What began as a police case involving five men has now become a broader argument over the limits of political expression, as supporters challenge the authorities to arrest anyone who wears the same message.
The five men — Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21 — were arrested on September 25 around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
Police allege that the men worked together to produce and wear the shirts with the intention of disturbing public peace.
They were subsequently arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court I, Maiduguri, on charges including criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery under the Borno State Penal Code.
The defendants pleaded not guilty.
Their lawyer applied for bail, but the court adjourned ruling on the application until October 6. The substantive case was fixed for October 26, while the five were remanded in a correctional facility pending the bail decision.
The development has since generated a wider reaction, with supporters beginning to wear “Tinubu Must Go” shirts and repeating the challenge: “Start arresting all of us.”
The campaign has shifted public attention from the five defendants to a larger question — whether displaying a political message on clothing can amount to a criminal offence.
Amnesty International condemned the arrests, arguing that wearing a shirt expressing political dissent should not be treated as a crime. It called for the immediate and unconditional release of the five men and withdrawal of the charges.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also demanded their release, saying a slogan calling for political change was neither a weapon nor a threat.
The Borno chapter of the African Democratic Congress joined the criticism, describing the arrests as an attack on freedom of expression and calling for the release of the youths.
Police authorities, however, maintain that the defendants are being prosecuted over alleged conduct capable of disturbing public peace, rather than simply because they criticised President Bola Tinubu.
A separate claim that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum ordered the arrests has circulated in some reports but could not be independently verified.
For now, the five remain in custody awaiting the October 6 bail ruling, while the shirts that triggered their arrest continue to appear elsewhere — turning a Maiduguri courtroom case into a much wider national debate over dissent, free expression and political protest ahead of the 2027 elections.