KEY POINTS
- Ogun police arrested a man accused of staging a fake bandit attack video for TikTok followers.
- The suspect allegedly confessed that the video was scripted to gain online attention.
- Police recovered evidence and warned the public against spreading false information online.
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a man accused of staging and sharing a fake bandit attack video on TikTok in a bid to gain followers and attract attention online.
According to reports by counterinsurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the incident was reported on May 23 after a resident, Ayinla Sodiq of Obasanjo Ota, accompanied the suspect, identified as Qowiy Oloyede of Oriya Sokoto Road, Atan Ota, to a police station.
The complainant accused Oloyede of producing and circulating a misleading video that falsely claimed bandits had invaded the Atan Ota community.
Suspect Allegedly Confessed During Police Interrogation
The divisional police officer reportedly questioned the suspect, who allegedly admitted to fabricating the video in order to increase his social media following.
In a video circulating online, the suspect was seen kneeling while being questioned by a man dressed in a police uniform.
During the interrogation, he reportedly confessed that the video was scripted to make the content trend online. He also explained that the herder featured in the clip was simply a cattle rearer who grazed cows behind his shop.
According to the suspect, the herder initially declined to appear in the video before later agreeing.
The suspect further claimed he could neither read nor write, saying his apprentice wrote the caption attached to the TikTok post.
He added that he had only made two similar videos — one posted on Monday and another on Wednesday.
Police authorities reportedly recovered photos and video materials linked to the fake publication during preliminary investigations.
The report added that the suspect may be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Abeokuta for further investigation.
