The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed five counts of terrorism-related charges against self-styles activist, Muhammad Mahdi Shehu at the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna.
The move came a day after the secret police filed a motion exparte before the same court for an order to detain Shehu for 60 days. The motion was filed pursuant to Section 66 of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022,
In granting the order, Justice Rilwan Aikawa held that the DSS should keep Shehu for 60 days to enable their officers conclude investigations.
Shehu is facing charges of, False Publication to cause public alarm contrary to Section 59 (1) of the Criminal Code Act, dissemination of Terrorism related false information contrary to Section 26 (2) (a) and (b) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and intentional dissemination of false information contrary to Section 24(1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention etc.) Act, 2024 (as amended);
He also being prosecuted for false allegation of Treasonable Act contrary yo Section 41 of the Criminal Code Act; and the use of Social Media to support false allegations of National Security Threat, contrary to Section 24(1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act.
Recall that the DSS had recently arrested Shehu shortly after he shared doctored videos purporting that the Nigerian government had granted France permission to set up a military base in the North.
The disgraced self-acclaimed whistleblower in seeming support of debunked claims by Niger Republic’s leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, that Nigeria is collaborating with France to establish military bases on its soil, shared a video shot in 2013 showing Nigerian and French troops offloading supplies on his X handle.
Mahdi Sheuhu’s many controversies
Mahdi Shehu is not new to controversies, neither is his arrest by the secret police his first brush with the law this year. Mahdi had claimed through his lawyer that he was arrested in February for calling on President Bola Tinubu to probe former President Muhammadu Buhari and some of his top officials.
But former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, (SAN), responded to Mahdi’s claims, saying, he was arrested for attempted extortion. A statement from Malami’s firm signed by A.A. Sherif, a lawyer, alleged that Mahdi was arrested in Kaduna when he tried to take advantage of his wife, Aisha, for a sum of $500,000.
“Our attention has been drawn to the above press statement made on February 7, 2024, as well as that of January 2024; and we, as solicitors to Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, and his family, noted with grave concern that the press statement is not correct, misleading, malicious and a gross misrepresentation of the facts leading to the arrest. Therefore, we write to set the record straight for the benefit of the public. Without prejudice to the police investigation that is ongoing, the facts relate to the complaint/petition which we wrote to the Inspector-General of Police on allegations bothering on extortion, criminal intimidation and an attempt to obtain money by pretence against a syndicate using GSM numbers and email addresses,” the statement read.
Perhaps, Shehu Mahdi’s most talked about controversy is his 2021 viral video where he kicked off crutches he wore to court to falsely claim he was sick. The self-acclaimed whistleblower was arrested By the IGP Monitoring Unit operatives for “acting in concert and with intent to defame, insult, cause enmity, hatred, ill will, and damage to the reputation and integrity of governor of Katsina state and his executive cabinet (sic)”, among other charges, when he wrote EFCC last year and alleged that between June 2015 and April 29, 2020, the state government tampered with N52 billion for dubious and personal purposes from the state’s security account.
Mahdi who had appeared in public sickly and incapacitated was later seen in a viral video discarding his crutches and preparing to lead a congregational prayer in a room. The man who appeared in crutches and braces, signaling that he had lost the ability to use his bones and spinal cord, became healed and agile in private in the viral video.
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