Amnesty International Warns of “Political Repression” in Borno State
Amnesty International says evidence has confirmed an escalating level in the clampdown of political freedoms in Nigeria’s northeast state of Borno, the home state of Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The rights group issued the warning following the arrests of 11 young men by the authorities for wearing T-shirts with the inscription “Tinubu Must Go.”
The men have been held at the Maiduguri maximum prison since 28 of August 2026 and were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Wulari, Maiduguri, on the 8th of September 2026.
Their identities have been revealed as Umar Sanda Mohammed, Yahaya Mohammed, Mohammed Ali, Abubakar Dauda, Hussaini Umar, and Yunusa Salaima.
Others are Sulaiman Mohammed, Liti Adamu, Idris Yusuf, Mohammed Ali, Warrata, Na Hannun Gomna, Yambo, and One Five.
The First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police says they are charged for “conducts said to include interrupting, shouting at and embarrassing government officials while they were delivering a speech.”
But Amnesty International says the case is politically motivated.
In a statement, the rights body demanded an end to what it describes as “political repression.”
“These bizarre charges and actions that followed have all the elements of political repression and abuse of power, as well as undermining the right to personal liberty, presumption of innocence, fair hearing, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful dissent,” Amnesty International stated.
It described the increasing clampdown on peaceful dissent in Borno State as disturbing and unacceptable. “People of Borno state are free to exercise all fundamental human rights without fear of reprisal,” the group said, adding, “How governments tolerate unfavourable views or critical voices is often a good indication of how they treat human rights generally.”
Position of Borno State Government
The Borno state government has defended its decision to arrest the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ wearing protesters.
KlickNews had reported that the State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has warned that his administration will not stand by and watch the state descend into lawlessness and conflict.
While addressing the development in a speech in Hausa, Governor Zulum connected the symbolic apparel to broader threats of violence, claiming the T-shirts displayed aggressive imagery.
“You put it in writing on the singlet. You wear a T-shirt showing a sign of arms and knives. You wear the singlet and move around claiming to belong to a particular group,” Zulum stated.
Expressing deep concern over the state’s security trajectory, the governor warned that failure to act would render the state uninhabitable. He lamented a breakdown of order in certain sectors, noting, “You cannot enter some areas around 11 o’clock.”
“I swear, if we stand by and watch these things happen without taking actions… this town will not remain habitable if this continues,” Zulum warned. “We have seen people being destroyed, and we are witnessing these things, including women being affected, right before our eyes.”
Zulum further blamed political interference for shielding troublemakers, vowing that his administration would crack down on those disrupting public peace, even if it requires unannounced measures.
“People will be killed. But today, because of politics, someone will say, ‘Leave our boys alone,’ even when our own people are responsible for what is happening,” he said. “There are measures we will take without necessarily announcing them to anyone. Anyone we catch will be arrested and detained.”
Meanwhile, the governor’s justification has drawn a fierce reaction from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), which is now demanding transparency and questioning the government’s commitment to basic democratic rights.
