Ghali Isma’il, a social media influencer who shared videos online claiming that President Bola Tinubu passed away due to a serious illness, was remanded in the Keffi Correctional Centre by a Chief Magistrate court in Abuja on Friday.
Days after Isma’il uploaded the phony videos about Tinubu to the TikTok account @bola_asiwaju, he was taken into custody by Department of State Services (DSS) agents.
Count one of the two-count charge, titled “Publication of false news with intent to offend public peace, “ read: “That you, Ghali Ismail, Male, twenty-nine (29) years of Jogana village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, on or about the 20th Day of July, 2025 and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did publish false information by uploading a video clip on your verified Tiktok handle (“bola-asiwaju”) wherein you falsely claimed that you reliably confirmed from official sources that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was critically ill, having been poisoned through his meal, with intent to cause public alarm and disturb public peace.
“You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 418 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Count two, “Inciting Disaffection to the Government,” read: “That you, Ghali Ismail, Male, twenty-nine (29) years, of Jogana village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, on or about the 20th Day of July, 2025 and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did publish false information by uploading a video clip on your verified Tiktok handle (“bola-asiwaju”) wherein you falsely claimed that you reliably confirmed from official sources that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was critically ill, having been poisoned through his meal, with intent to bring contempt or incite feelings of disaffection against the person of the President. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 416 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
After taking arguments by both counsels to the DSS and that of the defendant, whose application for bail was denied, the presiding judge, Ekpeyong Iyang, ordered Ismail to be remanded in Keffi Correctional Centre. The matter was adjourned till August 19.
Isma’il’s arraignment came a few days after a Journalism Professor at Kennesaw State University in the United States, Farooq Kperogi, apologized for publishing a false report that late President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, were divorced at the time of his death.
Recall that Biafrian agitator, Simon Ekpa, is currently being prosecuted by Finnish authorities for terrorism. However, Ekpa insists that his icentary posts online were merely to create “content”.
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