Court Remands TikToker Arrested By DSS Over False Claim Of President Tinubu’s De@th

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the remand of social media influencer Ghali Isma’il over videos in which he claimed President Bola Tinubu had d!ed from a serious illness.

TVC reports that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Isma’il days after he shared the video on a verified TikTok account, @bola_asiwaju.

The 29-year-old suspect, a native of Jogana village in Gezawa LGA of Kano state, was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on the publication of false information and incitement of public disaffection.

According to the charge sheet, the first count states that on or about July 20, 2025, Isma’il falsely claimed in the video that President Tinubu was critically ill and had been poisoned, asserting that he confirmed the information from official sources. The charge is said to contravene Section 418 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

In the second count, the prosecution accused the defendant of attempting to incite public contempt and disaffection against the president by deliberately spreading falsehood, an offence under Section 416 of the Penal Code.

Upon reading the charges, the presiding magistrate, Ekpeyong Iyang, denied Isma'il's bail application filed by his counsel and ordered that he be remanded at the Keffi Correctional Centre.

The case was adjourned to August 19.