Amnesty International has rejected the Nigerian Police Force’s claim that five men arrested in Maiduguri while wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts were in possession of drugs, describing the explanation as an attempt to justify what it called their unlawful detention.

Recall that after the nationwide outrage which trailed their arrests, the Borno State Police Command denied that the motive of arrest was political.

In a statement on Wednesday, Nahum Daso Kenneth , Police Public Relations Officer in the state, said, “The Command wishes to categorically state that the Nigeria Police Force is a professional, non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint.”

The police alleged that they conspired to print and wear T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of the city.

The police subsequently defended the arrests, saying the suspects were also in possession of drugs.

But in a statement, Amnesty dismissed the drug allegation and accused the police of introducing a new narrative in an attempt to justify the continued detention of the men.

The rights organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five men — Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed — insisting that expressing a dissenting political opinion is not a criminal offence.

The organisation said the Borno State Police Command must end what it described as “bizarre and desperate attempts” to justify the arrests.

It said linking the five men to drugs and other crimes was a “familiar playbook” aimed at justifying political repression and undermining democratic freedoms.

“Earlier, police accused the five men for alleged inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, and thuggery, and now linking them to drugs manifests a desperate attempt to punish them for their peaceful political activities,” Amnesty said.

The organisation argued that, in the absence of a recognisable criminal offence arising from the men’s political expression, the new drug allegation appeared to be an additional attempt to build a case against them.

Amnesty maintained that citizens in Borno State and across Nigeria have the right to support or oppose political parties and candidates without fear of arrest or reprisal.

It said freedom of political expression was not constitutionally reserved for supporters of any particular political party.

“The five men must be released immediately and unconditionally. Holding and expressing dissenting political opinion is not a crime,” the organisation said.

Amnesty also called on the Nigeria Police and the Borno State Government to end what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition members and supporters.

It warned that continued arrests over peaceful political expression could further restrict civic space and freedom of expression in the state.

The men were reportedly arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri, where they pleaded not guilty

. Their lawyers subsequently applied for bail, with the court expected to rule on the application on October 6, while the substantive case was adjourned to October 26.

The police allegations and Amnesty’s characterisation of the arrests remain contested, with the police maintaining that the suspects committed offences beyond merely wearing the T-shirts.

The Jigawa State High Court No. 11, sitting in Ringim, has sentenced a 50-year-old man, Abubakar Biniya, to 10 years’ imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

Justice Muhammad El-Usman handed down the judgment yesterday,after finding Biniya, of Galadanchi Quarters, Ringim Local Government Area, guilty of the offence.

According to a statement issued by the Director of Information and Protocol of the Jigawa State High Court, Abbas Rufa’i Wangara, the convict committed the offence in January 2024 at Galadanchi Quarters, Ringim.

The prosecution, led by the Ministry of Justice, called six witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including a medical report, in support of the case.

Biniya testified in his defence but did not call any other witness.

The court, while sentencing him, considered his plea for leniency and the fact that he was a first-time offender.

In addition to the 10-year custodial sentence, the court ordered the convict to pay N500,000 in compensation to the victim.

The court also ordered that his name be published in the Jigawa State Sexual Offenders Register maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

It further directed that the convict be publicly shamed through radio announcements, pursuant to Section 3(2), (4) and (5) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law No. 02 of 2021.

The court gave the parties three months within which to appeal the judgment.

The Federal Government has ruled out a return to the petrol subsidy regime, insisting that the reforms of President Bola Tinubu were necessary to save Nigeria from imminent collapse.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja at the 66th Independence Anniversary Lecture.

Akume’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, in a statement said the SGF categorically declared that; “We will not return to the ruinous petroleum subsidy regime of the past”.

He said the administration took hard decisions from the day it assumed office.

“This administration took office in 2023 and immediately took bold decisions needed to save the nation from imminent collapse. Such decisions include the removal of the petrol subsidy, unification of the foreign-exchange market, tax and other fiscal reforms, etc. These were difficult decisions, but necessary to rebuild stability and we have started enjoying the results,” he said.

Citing the World Bank, Akume said Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, up from 3.9 per cent a year earlier.

“The task before us now is to ensure that growth translates into jobs and higher incomes for all Nigerians,” he said.

The SGF said the shift to gas was cutting fuel costs. He disclosed that over 120,000 vehicles have been converted to Compressed Natural Gas CNG, with more than 400 conversion centres and 90 fuelling stations nationwide.

“This shift is cutting fuel costs for motorists and commuters. CNG buses now carry millions of passengers at fares far below those of petrol buses,” he said.

On power, Akume said the government has tackled the sector’s problems “by clearing legacy debts, increasing investment, and improving transmission and billing.”

According to him, the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Abuja-Kano highway, the East-West Road, rail modernisation and port reforms would dramatically improve trade routes and the economy.

He added that the government is expanding mortgage finance to boost housing and jobs.

On agriculture, Akume said the World Bank has approved a $500 million credit for the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW) project.

“This initiative will raise smallholder productivity, strengthen value chains, and improve food and nutrition security,” he said.