The Nigeria Police Force has arraigned a 35-year-old social media influencer, Faruk Musa Muhammad, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged cyberbullying of the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa.
Muhammad was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on cyberbullying arising from allegations he allegedly made against the Defence Minister and senior military officers.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant, through his TikTok handle between June 19 and July 17, 2026, claimed that Nigerian troops engaged in the ongoing fight against terrorism were losing their lives because of the alleged failure of the Defence Minister and serving service chiefs to take appropriate action.
He was also accused of alleging that the Minister’s Legal Adviser, Aliyu Anas, was misleading General Musa in an attempt to have him removed from office by the Presidency.
Muhammad, an Abuja-based TikTok influencer, pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Fidelis Isong, urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
However, defence counsel, Abdulkadir Ahmad, informed the court that a bail application had been filed but had yet to be served on the prosecution.
Presiding Judge, Justice Obiorah Egwuatu, consequently adjourned the case until September 9, 2026, for hearing of the bail application.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Facility pending the hearing.
The case centres on allegations made by the defendant on social media concerning the conduct of Nigeria’s military leadership and the country’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
