Foreign
Nigerian TikTokers sentenced to whipping for mocking official
Published
1 year agoon
By
Vida Essel-LampteyTwo TikTok stars in Nigeria have been sentenced to a whipping and forced to clean the court after they used social media to mock a government official.
Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula were found guilty of defaming Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the northern state of Kano.
The pair’s lawyer said they would not challenge the judgement.
Nigeria has seen a growing number of social media stars who use comedy to comment on social and political issues.
Mubarak Isa Muhammad and Muhammad Bala were arrested last week after posting their video – in which they mocked the governor for alleged land grabbing, corruption and sleeping on the job – to TikTok and Facebook.
Prosecution lawyer Wada Ahmed Wada said the men had defamed the governor and that their action was capable of disturbing public peace.
They pleaded guilty and asked for leniency, but the judge ordered them to be given 20 lashes each, to pay a fine of 10,000 naira (£20) and to clean the court premises for 30 days. They were also ordered to publicly apologise to Mr Ganduje on social media.
Their lawyer, Bashir Yusuf, told the BBC they would not challenge the judgement, given it was a ”non-custodial” sentence – meaning those convicted would not be jailed.
Nigeria has seen a rapid increase in TikTok users in recent years, particularly among young people.
These users sometimes mock public figures, including government officials, by clipping images or videos, often to create comedies that attract massive followers to their accounts.
Kano State, a Muslim-majority part of northern Nigeria, is among about a dozen states in the region that practise the Sharia legal system alongside the country’s secular laws. Only Muslims can be tried in Sharia courts.
Source: BBC
You may like
-
Canadian woman jailed 22 years for mailing Donald Trump ricin
-
Freeze of Cecilia Dapaah’s accounts: Case is nothing more than suspicion fueled by misrepresentation of facts, media frenzy – Lawyer
-
Nigerian Air Force plane crashes in Benue
-
Colorado LGBT Club attacker Aldrich jailed for life
-
Suit against Mahama is dead on arrival – Legal Practitioner
-
Nigerian Chef breaks Guinness World Records, becomes Longest Cooking Marathon title holder
Mahama leads NDC to mourn with Kufuor over wife’s passing
Former President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, October 4 led a delegation from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to visit...
Former First Lady of Ghana Theresa Kufuor reported dead
The former First Lady of Ghana and wife of Ghana’s former President, John Agyekum Kufour, Mrs Theresa Kufuor has been...
The most powerful tool for change is the right to vote – Mahama
The 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is rallying Ghanaains who have grown disillusioned with...
PFJ was a mere state resource looting platform – Minority
The Minority has descended heavily on the Akufo-Addo-led government for launching a second phase of the flagship Planting for Food...
ECOWAS is desecrating Ghana
The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Abraham Amaliba has said the Economy Community of...
Prof Gyampo elected President of UTAG, University of Ghana branch
A Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (Legon), Prof Ransford Gyampo have been elected...