A Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday ordered the remand of social media influencer Ghali Isma’il at the Keffi Correctional Centre. Isma’il was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) after he posted videos on TikTok falsely claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had died from a severe illness.

Using the handle @bola_asiwaju, Isma’il alleged in the video that the president was poisoned, citing supposed confirmation from official sources. He now faces a two-count charge.

The first count, titled “Publication of False News with Intent to Offend Public Peace,” accuses Isma’il of uploading a misleading video on July 20, 2025, with the intent to cause public alarm. This act is said to contravene Section 418 of the Penal Code Act.

The second count, “Inciting Disaffection to the Government,” claims the video aimed to provoke public contempt or disaffection towards the President. This is considered an offence under Section 416 of the same law.

After hearing submissions from both the prosecution and defense, Chief Magistrate Ekpeyong Iyang denied Isma’il's bail request and ordered his detention until the next hearing, scheduled for August 19.

Isma’il’s arraignment follows closely on the heels of a public apology from Farooq Kperogi, a U.S.-based journalism professor, who admitted to sharing a false report about a supposed divorce between former President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife Aisha.

Separately, Biafran separatist agitator Simon Ekpa is facing prosecution in Finland over alleged terrorism-related activities linked to his online content. Finnish authorities are seeking a six-year sentence. Ekpa, however, maintains that his controversial posts were merely for "content creation."

Similarly, in Abuja last week, detained separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu told a federal court that his own online broadcasts — which prosecutors allege led to hundreds of deaths — were intended as jokes.