Nigeria arrests over 'Tinubu Must Go' T-shirts stoke fears of dissent crackdown

Police call the detentions routine, but Amnesty International sees an attack on democracy ahead of the 2027 election

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

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Police in northern Nigeria arrested five men over T-shirts reading "Tinubu Must Go!", the latest flashpoint in a crackdown on political dissent that activists say is squeezing opposition ahead of Nigeria's January 2027 presidential election. Authorities say the arrests were routine and unconnected to political views, but human rights groups describe a pattern of repression.

Police in Borno state arrested the five men, aged between 21 and 44, in September over the shirts. Authorities alleged the group had conspired to produce and wear them with the intention of breaching public peace, and charged them with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.

Responding to criticism from human rights groups and activists, police later said the arrests followed a routine patrol during which officers found substances believed to be illicit drugs and other items on the men, and argued they were not being prosecuted for expressing their political views. Amnesty International said the men were supporters of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), according to the AFP news agency.

Two weeks after the arrests, police in the northern state of Kano blocked access to the venue of a planned meeting by members of the same movement, citing concerns over public safety.

The cases highlight the contested line between security measures and political expression. Hassana Maina, a lawyer and activist, called the police action over the T-shirts "despicable." "It's very dishonest at best because the fight that we've had and the insecurity that has been caused, the solution to that is not to create a system ... that thrives on fascism where dissenting voices are not allowed to exist," she told DW.

Isa Sanusi, executive director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, said the clampdown represented a disturbing pattern of repression of the right to freedom of association and expression. "People are free to support or oppose a political party or candidate. It is unacceptable that just wearing a T-shirt can become a reason for arrest and detention," he told DW. "These actions carried out by police constitute an attack on democracy itself."

The "Tinubu Must Go" movement opposes President Bola Tinubu's administration and says it wants to mobilize Nigerians ahead of the January 2027 presidential election. Its grievances extend beyond leadership. Nigeria is facing one of its worst economic crises in recent times, with food prices at their highest level in over 20 years, high inflation and skyrocketing transportation costs. Across the north, insecurity remains pervasive, particularly in rural communities, where the Boko Haram insurgency has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions over more than a decade.

Activists point to a longer record of pressure on dissent. Social media critic Abubakar Idris, known as Dadiyata, went missing in August 2019 after armed men seized him from his residence in Kaduna State and has not been seen since. Hamdiyya Sharif, 18, was arrested and remanded in prison over a TikTok video criticizing the Sokoto State governor's handling of security, and charged in a Sharia court with using abusive language against Governor Ahmed Aliyu and "inciting disturbance." The management of Arewa House, a research and historical documentation center in Kaduna, also withdrew approval for the presentation of a book deemed critical of the government, citing operational issues.

Maina said Nigerians should reject the idea that opposing the government calls their patriotism into question. "Standing up against policies that you think [are] bad for the development of your country, I think it's patriotism at its finest," she told DW.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Nigeria heads to the polls in January 2027, and the space allowed to opposition voices now will shape that contest. The arrests, the blocked meeting in Kano and the cancelled book event point to a pattern, not isolated incidents.
The movement's grievances track a severe cost-of-living crisis and chronic insecurity in the north, giving the dissent question a large and restive constituency.

Background

Nigeria's north has suffered for more than a decade from the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. The country is also enduring one of its worst economic crises in recent times, with food prices at their highest level in over 20 years. The "Tinubu Must Go" movement has emerged against this backdrop, seeking to mobilize Nigerians ahead of the January 2027 presidential election. Its T-shirts and meetings have become the focus of the current dispute over dissent, following a pattern of pressure on critics that includes the 2019 disappearance of a prominent social media critic and the arrest of a teenager over a TikTok video.

Key Perspectives

Police and authorities: The arrests followed a routine patrol during which officers found substances believed to be illicit drugs, and the men were not prosecuted for expressing their political views. Blocking the Kano meeting was a public safety decision.

The "Tinubu Must Go" movement: Opposes President Bola Tinubu's administration and wants to mobilize Nigerians before the January 2027 election, arguing that the economic crisis and persistent insecurity demand change.

Amnesty International and activists: See a disturbing pattern of repression. Sanusi says wearing a T-shirt should never be a reason for arrest and calls the police actions an attack on democracy itself, while Maina argues that a system where dissenting voices are not allowed to exist is an assault on people's freedom.

What to Watch

Whether the charges against the five men proceed or collapse, and how the drugs allegation is tested in court.
Whether more opposition gatherings and events are blocked ahead of the January 2027 election, after the Kano meeting and the Arewa House book presentation.
The strength of the movement's street mobilizations, which will test whether the crackdown deters dissent as economic grievances deepen.

Sources

'Tinubu Must Go!': Nigeria's northern protests test limits of political dissent · DW English

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe arrests over the T-shirts stoked fears of a crackdown on dissent.DW English: “T-shirts bearing the slogan "Tinubu Must Go!" — a reference to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu — are at the center of an escalating crackdown on dissent in Nigeria's vast north.”
Partly supportedPolice described the detentions as routine, while Amnesty International saw them as an attack on democracy ahead of the 2027 election.DW English: “police later explained that the arrests followed a routine patrol”
SupportedThe five men were arrested over the T-shirts in Borno in September and were aged 21 to 44.DW English: “In September, police in the northeastern state of Borno arrested five men, aged between 21 and 44, over the shirts.”
Partly supportedActivists say a crackdown is squeezing opposition ahead of Nigeria's January 2027 presidential election.DW English: “We have opposition politicians being denied space to hold political gatherings, and hotels threatened not to allow opposition to use their spaces.”
SupportedAuthorities alleged the men conspired to produce and wear the shirts to breach public peace, and the men were charged with four offences.DW English: “Authorities have alleged the group had conspired to produce and wear them with the intention of breaching public peace. The men were subsequently charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.”
SupportedPolice said officers found substances believed to be illicit drugs and other items on the men during a routine patrol, and said they were not prosecuted for their political views.DW English: “police later explained that the arrests followed a routine patrol and that officers found substances believed to be illicit drugs and other items on them, arguing that they were not being prosecuted for expressing their political views.”
SupportedPolice in Kano blocked access to a planned meeting venue two weeks after the Borno incident, citing public-safety concerns.DW English: “But two weeks after the incident, police in the northern state of Kano blocked access to the venue of a planned meeting by members of the same movement citing concerns over public safety.”
SupportedMaina called the police action over the T-shirts “despicable.”DW English: “Hassana Maina, a lawyer and activist, described the police action over the T-shirts as "despicable."”
SupportedMaina said the solution was not to create a system that thrives on fascism where dissenting voices are not allowed to exist.DW English: “the solution to that is not to create a system … that thrives on fascism where dissenting voices are not allowed to exist, or people have to think in one particular way”
SupportedSanusi said police actions constituted an attack on democracy itself.DW English: “"These actions carried out by police constitute an attack on democracy itself."”
SupportedThe movement opposes Tinubu's administration and says it wants to mobilize Nigerians ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.DW English: “The "Tinubu Must Go" movement opposes the current administration of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and says it wants to mobilize Nigerians ahead of Nigeria's January 2027 presidential election.”
SupportedFood prices in Nigeria are at their highest level in more than 20 years.DW English: “Food prices are at their highest level in over 20 years”