TikToker Who Falsely Declared Tinubu Dead Lands in DSS Net: "No Bail for You"
- Ghali Isma’il, 29, was ordered into custody by an Abuja magistrate court after posting a false video claiming President Tinubu died from food poisoning
- Isma’il was charged with publishing false news and inciting disaffection against the government, both punishable under Nigeria’s Penal Code
- Authorities warned that social media misuse has legal consequences, stressing the seriousness of spreading fake news related to national security
FCT, Abuja - A 29-year-old TikTok user, Ghali Isma’il, has been remanded at the Keffi Correctional Centre by a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja.
Isma'il had published a video falsely claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had died following a food poisoning incident.
Source: Facebook
Arrest made after viral video on TikTok
Isma’il, a resident of Jogana village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano state, was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) days after posting the fake death announcement on his verified TikTok handle, @bola_asiwaju.
According to the charge sheet, the video falsely claimed that President Tinubu was critically ill due to being poisoned through food, citing unnamed “official sources.”
Tinubu: TikToker faces two-count charge
The DSS arraigned Isma’il on a two-count charge. The first charge, titled Publication of false news with intent to cause offence against public peace, alleges that the TikTok post was intended to incite public alarm and disturb the peace, Nation reported.
The second charge, Inciting disaffection to the government, accuses Isma’il of attempting to bring contempt and stir resentment against the president through the same false claims.
Both offences are punishable under Sections 416 and 418 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Bail denied, defendant remanded in correctional centre
Source: Getty Images
Presiding over the matter, Magistrate Ekpeyong Iyang denied the defendant's application for bail and ordered his remand at the Keffi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
“The court has considered the seriousness of the charges and the likely impact of the content posted. The application for bail is hereby refused,” Magistrate Iyang ruled.
The case was adjourned to August 19, 2025, for further hearing.
False information, online influence under scrutiny
The case adds to a growing list of legal actions involving social media users spreading misinformation or inciting content, Vanguard reported.
Just recently, Professor Farooq Kperogi, a Journalism scholar based in the United States, apologised for wrongly reporting that the late president Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, had divorced before his death.
Separately, Biafran agitator Simon Ekpa is currently being tried in Finland for terrorism-related offences tied to his online separatist broadcasts. Ekpa insists his actions were mere “content creation.”
Similarly, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu recently told a Federal High Court in Abuja that his own broadcasts, which the prosecution claims triggered violence, were “jokes.”
DSS warns against misuse of social media
Reacting to Isma’il’s arraignment, a senior DSS official who spoke on condition of anonymity warned Nigerians to exercise caution when using digital platforms.
“Social media is not a lawless space. There are consequences for spreading falsehood, especially when it concerns national security and the presidency,” the official stated.
DSS links Nnamdi Kanu to EndSARS unrest
Previously, Legit.ng reported that an officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) based at its Abuja headquarters linked the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu to the 2020 to EndSARS unrest.
The fifth witness, identified as EEE said he had no personal interaction with Kanu but was familiar with him through the media.
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Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
