NewzBy Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri MAIDUGURI — The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Borno State and the state police command have disagreed over the circumstances surrounding the arrest and prosecution of five youths linked to the “Tinubu Must Go” campaign. The police said the five suspects were arrested over alleged public disturbance, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit drugs, while the ADC accused the command of giving a false account of the incident. The controversy followed the arrest of the youths in Maiduguri and the subsequent discovery of two T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.” In a statement on Wednesday, the Borno State Police Command said the five suspects — Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed — were arrested on September 25, 2026, at about 6pm during a routine patrol around the West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
The command, through its spokesman, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, said the suspects were allegedly involved in conduct capable of causing public disturbance. According to the police, the items recovered from them included 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, a shisha pot, a pair of scissors and two T-shirts bearing the “Tinubu Must Go” inscription. The command said the suspects were subjected to preliminary investigation and their statements obtained before the case was charged to court.
However, the Borno State Chairman of the ADC, Kolo Bukar, rejected the police account, describing it as false and accusing the command of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding the arrests. Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Bukar said only four of the arrested persons were members of the ADC, while the fifth person identified by the police was unknown to the party. He said one of those arrested, Adam Umar Gubio, who he described as the leader and coordinator of the “Tinubu Must Go” movement and a supporter of the ADC, was among those detained.
According to Bukar, the group had obtained clearance from the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, to hold a peaceful gathering at the ADC secretariat around the West End Roundabout. He alleged that the gathering was conducted peacefully and under the protection of security personnel, with participants wearing the “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts. By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri MAIDUGURI — The Borno State Police Command has clarified that five persons arrested in Maiduguri were apprehended over allegations of inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit drugs, and not simply for wearing or possessing T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.” The clarification followed reports and widespread public discourse suggesting that the suspects were arrested because of the political message on the T-shirts.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Keneth Daso, said the five suspects were arrested on September 25, 2026, during a routine township patrol around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri. According to him, the suspects were allegedly involved in conduct capable of causing public disturbance. Daso said the items recovered from the suspects included 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.” He said the suspects were subsequently subjected to preliminary investigation, during which statements were obtained from them.
“Upon completion of the initial investigation, the case was charged to court,” Daso said. The police spokesman stressed that the Nigeria Police Force was a professional and non-partisan institution and did not discriminate against persons on the basis of their political affiliation or viewpoint. “The Command remains committed to the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities,” he said.
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