Amnesty International has reportedly condemned the detention of five men in Maiduguri, Borno State, over their alleged use of T-shirts carrying the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.”
The men were reportedly arrested by the Borno State Police Command after they were seen wearing the shirts in the Maiduguri area.
The five men were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed.
According to a statement attributed to Amnesty International and circulated on social media on Tuesday, the men were allegedly remanded in prison after being accused of intending to cause a breach of public peace around the West-End Roundabout/Flyover area of Maiduguri.
However, the statement could not be independently verified as of press time.
The statement reportedly argued that wearing a T-shirt expressing peaceful political opposition should not amount to a criminal offence, stressing that citizens have the right to express their political views.
It also alleged that the arrests were part of what it described as efforts to restrict opposition activities in Borno State.
“Clearly, the intention of this reign of repression in Borno State appears to be the selective injustice to curtail the opposition in the political space,” the statement reportedly said.
It added that such actions could create what it described as a climate of fear and undermine democratic principles of freedom and justice.
Amnesty International reportedly called on the authorities to release the five men and discontinue the case, questioning the basis of the charges against them.
The organisation also stressed that the right to express political opinions should apply to citizens regardless of the political party or movement they support.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain confirmation from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were unsuccessful as of press time.
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