Worshippers stone Tinubu’s convoy in Abuja, chant ‘Bamayi’

President Bola Tinubu’s convoy was pelted with stones by angry worshippers and passersby who chanted “Bamayi” after Friday’s congregational prayer at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

The incident occurred on Friday, November 13, 2026, and video clips of the confrontation circulated widely on social media within hours, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE INCIDENT

According to Peoples Gazette, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Bamayi,” a Hausa expression meaning “we are not doing” , a slogan of rejection, while others threw stones at the presidential convoy, causing panic as people scrambled for safety. “Security guards were also seen dispersing the worshippers and passersby who stoned Mr Tinubu’s convoy after the congregational prayer in Abuja,” the report stated.

THE TRIGGER

According to an eyewitness who attended the prayers, the protest was triggered by the restrictions imposed on worshippers because of the President’s visit .The eyewitness said Tinubu arrived at the mosque at about 1:49 p.m., by which time access to the premises had already been restricted.

Security operatives prevented people from entering the mosque after the President arrived, and roads leading to the mosque were blocked, with some security personnel mounted on the mosque’s perimeter fences .

The restrictions continued after the prayers, with worshippers prevented from leaving until the President departed. The eyewitness said the booing started from the area where people had been barricaded. “People were stopped from entering the mosque after the president had entered. Several people were stuck outside,” another source told Premium Times, describing the security arrangements as excessive .

Some of those gathered chanted “Ba mayi, ba ma so,” loosely translated as “We are not supporting you.” Others chanted “Tinubu Must Go,” a slogan associated with opposition to the President’s re-election bid .

THE SERMON

During the service, the Chief Imam of the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque, Rabiu Suleiman, delivered a sermon based on lessons from Surah Al-Fatihah, urging Muslims to uphold the oneness of Allah and seek steadfastness through Him .

He prayed for peace and the President’s good health, asking Allah to grant Tinubu greater wisdom and guide him towards leading Nigeria to prosperity. He also acknowledged the President’s contribution to the renovation of the historic mosque .

The President was accompanied by the 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.

THE DENIAL

When Peoples Gazette contacted Bayo Onanuga, the President’s media aide, he replied in a message that the claim was not true.

“This is not true,” Onanuga’s message read.

Premium Times reported that Onanuga did not respond to calls at the time of filing its report.

THE CONTEXT

The incident occurred on the same day President Tinubu issued a statement condemning political violence and thuggery ahead of the 2027 elections, authorising security agencies to “confront thuggery and other anti-social and anti-democratic activities with full force.”

It also came two days after suspected thugs invaded a town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, where presidential candidate Peter Obi was speaking.

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WHY IT MATTERS

There are two stories here, and the Presidency is telling one of them. The official version is that nothing happened. “This is not true,” the President’s spokesman said.

The videos say otherwise.

What the videos show is not a riot. It is a crowd of worshippers, people who had come to pray, expressing fury at being locked out of their own mosque and then locked in until the President’s motorcade had cleared the area.

The chant “Bamayi” is not a party slogan. It is a rejection. And it was directed at a President leaving a place of worship.

This is the danger of the security doctrine that surrounds the Nigerian presidency. Every movement requires road closures, barricades, and the suspension of ordinary life for everyone in the vicinity.

Most of the time, people endure it silently.

On Friday, in Garki, they did not. The political significance is hard to overstate. Abuja is not an opposition stronghold. The Shehu Shagari Mosque is not a protest venue. These were ordinary worshippers, and they stoned the President’s convoy.

The Presidency can deny it. But the videos are already out. And 2027 is approaching. ValidViewNetwork reports.