Five men appeared in court in northeastern Nigeria after being arrested for wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts, rights group Amnesty International has said.
Nigeria is due to hold presidential elections on January 16, with incumbent Bola Tinubu seeking another four-year term.
Police arrested the men, aged between 21 and 44, in Borno state capital Maiduguri on September 25, accusing them of “criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery”.
Amnesty International Nigeria said they were supporters of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Police said the men printed the T-shirts with the “intent to cause breach of public peace”.
They appeared in court on Tuesday for the first time and were remanded in custody, with their trial continuing on October 6.
Elections in Africa’s most populous country are often marred by violence and allegations of malpractice.
Politicians have been accused of recruiting thugs to intimidate opponents and disrupt rallies or polling stations, but prosecutions for wearing anti-government T-shirts are rare.
“The authorities must immediately release all of those detained and drop any purported plan to put them through a sham trial based on bogus charges,” Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The right to show and express political opinion is not exclusive to only one political party.”
Police in Borno state did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
AFP
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