A Kaduna Chief Magistrate’s Court, on Tuesday, ordered the remand in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kaduna, of self-styled activist and public commentator, Shehu Mahdi.
A few days ago, Mahdi was arrested by the Department of State Services after he rebuffed pleas to pull down inciting videos he posted online accusing President Bola Tinubu of granting France the approval to set up a military base in northern Nigeria.
Mahdi made this allegation against the backdrop of a related claim by the leader of Niger Republic’s military junta, Abdourahamane Tchiani, that France had set up a military base in northern Nigeria.
Mahdi lambasted Tinubu for endorsing the deal in a viral tweet.
Both Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, have since debunked the claims as baseless.
The DSS, on Tuesday, 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.
The DSS said in a statement, “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.”
Mahdi’s video clips have since been fact-checked by several media organisations, including Daily Trust and The Cable, and have been found to be 2013 video footages of Nigerian soldiers at Bamako Airport, Mali, during their deployment for an African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Northern Mali.
