Shehu Mahdi, a self-acclaimed activist and public commentator, was ordered to be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Kaduna by a chief magistrate court on Tuesday.
Mahdi was arrested a few days ago by Department of State Services personnel after he refused to remove incendiary videos he posted online stating that President Bola Tinubu had granted France permission to establish a military camp in northern Nigeria.
Mahdi’s account followed a similar accusation by Niger Republic’s military head, Abdourahamane Tchiani, that France established a military facility in northern Nigeria.
Mahdi accused Tinubu of approving the agreement in a popular tweet.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, and Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information, have since dismissed the allegations as unfounded.
On Tuesday, the DSS arraigned him before Magistrate Abubakar Lamido on a two-count charge of conspiracy, aiding, and abetting terrorism, which the agency said violated Section 26(2)(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, and inciting public disturbances in violation of Section 78 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
“In his ruling, Magistrate Lamido held that Mahdi remains in a correctional facility in Kaduna until January 14, 2025, for further hearing on the matter,” a statement made available to Chronicle NG by the DSS read.
The video clips provided by Mahdi have now been fact-checked by multiple media organisations, including Daily Trust and The Cable, and found to be 2013 video footage of Nigerian soldiers at Bamako Airport, Mali, during their deployment for an African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Northern Mali.
