President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met loud boos and rejection chants from youths on Friday November 13 2026 after he observed Jumaat prayers at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1 Garki Abuja.
Groups of people shouted Bamayi and Tinubu Must Go as his convoy left the mosque. Bamayi is a Hausa expression that means we do not want you or we will not support you. Videos of the scene spread quickly online.
Tinubu arrived at the mosque at about 1:49 in the afternoon. He was accompanied by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu his Special Adviser on Political Affairs Ibrahim Masari Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. Chief Imam Rabiu Suleiman led the prayers and delivered a sermon based on lessons from Surah Al Fatihah the opening chapter of the Quran.
The imam urged Muslims to uphold the oneness of Allah and seek steadfastness through Him. He prayed for peace in Nigeria the presidents good health and divine guidance so that Tinubu would lead the country to prosperity. The imam also thanked the president for his contribution to the renovation of the mosque.
Security arrangements around the visit created frustration among many worshippers according to people who were present. Once Tinubu arrived security operatives restricted entry to the mosque so that later arrivals could not go inside. Roads leading to the premises were blocked and some security personnel stood on the perimeter fences.
After the prayers ended worshippers were not allowed to leave until the president had departed. The booing and chants began in the area where people had been held back by the restrictions. Witnesses said the tight controls left several people stuck outside and angered those who felt the arrangements were excessive.
Some videos circulating on social media including one shared by Senator Dino Melaye showed youths throwing stones or other objects toward a departing convoy while chanting Bamayi. The Presidency rejected those claims.
Senior Special Assistant Otega Ogra described the stone throwing footage as misleading and released a separate video in which Tinubu dressed in white with a black cap waved to youths who cheered and took photographs as he walked to his vehicle. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga also dismissed reports of an attack on the convoy.
In a related scene the same day angry youths moved through the busy Area 1 area of Abuja and pulled down campaign posters and banners carrying the image of Tinubu. They tore the materials stepped on them and continued chanting Tinubu Must Go while some complained about hardship hunger and insecurity. Similar videos of posters being destroyed have appeared from other parts of the country in recent days.
The events took place as political activity builds ahead of the next presidential election. Tinubu is expected to seek another term while facing opposition figures.
Earlier in the day the president issued a personal statement warning politicians and their supporters against violence and thuggery and authorizing security agencies to deal firmly with any threats to the democratic process. Groups of Abuja original inhabitants later issued statements distancing themselves from the mosque protests and saying the demonstrators were outsiders brought in by political opponents. The groups pledged to mobilize support for Tinubu in the Federal Capital Territory.
