The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count charge against Mahdi Shehu, a Nigerian activist and political critic, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna. The charges include false publication to incite public alarm, dissemination of terrorism-related falsehoods, and intentional use of social media to spread misinformation about national security.
Shehu’s arrest followed a December 2024 social media post alleging President Bola Tinubu permitted France to establish a military base in northern Nigeria. He also claimed that French soldiers had been sent to train Nigerian troops and accused the government of ceding parts of the country to foreign powers. Shehu’s post came as former French colonies increasingly cut ties with France.
The allegations were accompanied by a video that was later revealed to be from 2013, showing Nigerian troops during a peacekeeping mission in Mali. The National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and Information Minister Mohammed Idris dismissed the claims as baseless.
Despite deleting the post, Shehu uploaded additional videos that supported his claims. Security agencies, however, claimed the allegations were false and harmful to Nigeria’s national security.
On January 1, a Kaduna magistrate court remanded him to the Kaduna Correctional Facility on charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting terrorism, and inciting public disturbance. In a recent post, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate, called Shehu’s imprisonment another example of the current government’s growing authoritarian tendencies.
Shehu was later arraigned at the Federal High Court, where he was granted bail on January 9 for N30 million, with two prominent Islamic clerics standing as sureties. According to a Daily Trust report, the activist was re-arrested at his Unguwar Dosa, Kaduna clinic.
Following his re-arrest, the service got a court order from the Federal High Court in Kaduna, allowing them to detain the activist for 60 days for investigations. The DSS then filed a five-count charge against him under Section 66 of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022. His trial, initially scheduled for January 14, has been adjourned for further hearing.
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