Activist Mahdi Sent To Prison Over Post on French Establishing Military Base in Nigeria

A Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna on Tuesday ordered the detention of Mahdi Shehu, a Nigerian activist at the Kaduna Correctional Service Facility on charges of conspiracy, aiding terrorism, and inciting public disturbances.

The activist, who was arrested by the State Secret Services (SSS) days ago, was arraigned for posting a now-deleted social media video footage suggesting that President Bola Tinubu collaborated with western interests to establish a French military base in the Northwest region of Nigeria.

Shehu had claimed President Tinubu enlisted French forces to train Nigerian troops and hinted at a plan to cede sections of the country to France.  However, Information Minister Mohammed Idris dismissed the allegations as “baseless”.

These allegations are coming at a time former French colonies are cutting ties with France. Chad recently ended a long-standing defence agreement, paving the way for French troops to leave the country. Senegal has also announced that French soldiers would leave, while countries like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso has expelled French forces.

The video was said to be initially shared by the Associated Press (AP) in January 2013, and showed Nigerian troops unloading supplies from an aircraft during an ECOWAS peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Shehu deleted the video after it was fact-checked and was confirmed outdated. Despite deleting the video, security agencies proceeded with charges against the activist, citing his post’s potential to incite unrest. Shehu has faced charges in the past for his outspoken activism. His trial, now centred on terrorism allegations, has been adjourned to January 14, 2025, for further hearing.

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