Fake Videos: Court remands social media commentator, Mahdi, in prison

A chief magistrate court sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday ordered the remand of activist and social media commentator Shehu Mahdi in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kaduna.

Mahdi was arrested a few days ago by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) after he rebuffed pleas to pull down inciting videos he posted online, claiming that President Bola Tinubu granted France approval to set up a military base in northern Nigeria.

Mahdi’s narrative followed a related claim by the military leader of the Niger Republic, Abdourahamane Tchiani, that France had set up a military base in northern Nigeria. Shehu Mahdi blamed President Bola Tinubu for endorsing the deal in a viral tweet.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as well as the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, swiftly debunked the Nigerien military leader’s narrative as false.

On Tuesday, the DSS arraigned Mahdi before Magistrate Abubakar Lamido on a two-count charge of conspiracy, aiding and abetting terrorism, which the agency said is contrary to Section 26 (2)(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, and inciting public disturbances contrary to Section 78 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State, 2017.

In his ruling, Magistrate Lamido ordered that Mahdi remain in a correctional facility in Kaduna until January 14, 2025, for further hearing on the matter.

The video clips posted by Mahdi have since been fact-checked by several media organisations, including Daily Trust and The Cable. They were found to be 2013 footage of Nigerian soldiers at Bamako Airport, Mali, during their deployment for an African Union peacekeeping mission in northern Mali.