Yusuf Ali.
The controversy surrounding the arrest and arraignment of five persons in Maiduguri over the “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts has generated considerable debate across social media, with some commentaries attempting to directly link the development to the Borno State Government and Governor Babagana Umara Zulum.
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But before conclusions are drawn, there is a fundamental question that deserves to be answered: Was Governor Babagana Umara Zulum aware of the arrests, and did he order them?
In a conversation with one of the Governor’s media aides, Abdurahman Ahmed Bundi, I was told that Governor Zulum was not aware of the arrests and did not give any such directive. The aide also shared the statement issued by the Borno State Police Command, which provided the police version of the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
That clarification is important because the police account itself does not say that the suspects were arrested on the instruction of the Governor or the Borno State Government.
According to the Police Command, the five suspects were apprehended during a routine patrol around the West End Roundabout area of Maiduguri on September 25, 2026. The police said the allegations against them involved conduct capable of causing public disturbance, thuggery and possession of suspected illicit substances. The suspects were subsequently arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
These facts may be contested, and indeed they have been. The Borno chapter of the African Democratic Congress has challenged the police account, while Amnesty International has also questioned the explanation given by the authorities. Those are matters that can and should be examined through the appropriate legal and investigative processes.
What is difficult to justify, however, is the immediate leap from “five persons were arrested by the police” to “Governor Zulum ordered their arrest because they wore Tinubu Must Go T-shirts.”
Those are two different claims, and the second requires evidence.
Political disagreements are normal in a democracy. Citizens have the right to express their political opinions, while law-enforcement authorities have the responsibility to explain and defend arrests made under the law. Where there is disagreement over the circumstances of an arrest, the appropriate response is to establish the facts rather than assign responsibility without evidence.
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It is therefore important to separate the actions of the police from the actions of the State Government, unless evidence establishes a direct connection between the two.
Governor Zulum’s media aide has specifically stated that the Governor was not aware of the arrests. The police statement, as reported, likewise attributes the arrests to police officers acting in the course of their duties and does not state that the Governor ordered them.
Consequently, describing the incident as an action personally ordered by Governor Zulum, without establishing such a directive, risks turning an already sensitive matter into a political narrative unsupported by the evidence presently in the public domain.
This does not mean that legitimate questions should not be asked about the arrests. They should. If anyone believes that the police acted unlawfully, the courts and appropriate oversight institutions remain the proper avenues for determining that.
But accountability must also mean holding the right institution responsible for the right action.
Governor Zulum should not automatically be made the author of every action undertaken by a security agency in Borno State simply because he is the Governor and the Chief Security Officer of the state.
The issue before the public should therefore be straightforward: What exactly happened at West End Roundabout? Why were the five men arrested? What evidence does the police have for the charges? And was there ever a directive from the Governor or the State Government?
Until evidence establishes such a directive, attributing the arrests to Governor Zulum personally is an allegation, not an established fact.
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The public deserves facts—not assumptions; evidence—not social-media conclusions. And in a matter as politically sensitive as this, the distinction is too important to ignore.
Yusuf Ali, Media Aide to Governor Mai Mala Buni CON wrote in from Damaturu, Yobe State