By Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, Oct.13, 2026
ZARIA — A student of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Mubarak Abdullahi, has reportedly been arrested by university authorities and handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Tinubu Must Go” (#TMG).
Abdullahi, an undergraduate student of Criminology in the Department of Sociology, was reportedly picked up on campus on September 26, 2026.
It was gathered that the student, who hails from Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State, has remained in DSS detention without formal charges or access to legal representation since his arrest.
The incident has sparked growing concern among human rights activists, civil society organisations, and student leaders, who describe his prolonged detention as a direct violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression and peaceful dissent.
Speaking on the development, stakeholders called on the university management and the DSS to immediately clarify the legal grounds for Abdullahi’s continued incarceration.
”No citizen or student should be subjected to arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention simply for expressing a political opinion through peaceful means. Freedom of expression remains a constitutional right, not a crime,” a rights advocate noted.
Efforts to reach the management of Ahmadu Bello University and official spokespersons for the DSS for comments on the matter were unsuccessful as of press time.
The arrest comes amid heightened political sensitivity in Nigeria and growing scrutiny over the treatment of peaceful dissidents and student activists by security agencies.
Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) explicitly guarantees the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas without interference. Additionally, Section 35 guarantees the right to personal liberty, stipulating that any detained suspect must be charged to court within 24 to 48 hours.
This incident adds to a series of recent confrontations between security forces and citizens expressing discontent with prevailing socio-economic conditions in the country.
Rights groups have repeatedly urged the Federal Government and security agencies to uphold democratic norms by respecting civil liberties and refraining from using state apparatuses to suppress lawful political expression.