A 25-year-old tailor Kowiu Oloyede arrested by the Ogun State Police Command over fake bandit attack videos on TikTok, says he created the content to become popular like streamer Habeeb Hamzat, better known as, Peller.
Oloyede, who lives in Atan-Ota area of Ogun State, was arrested after posting videos claiming bandits had invaded the community.
One of the videos showed him and two others hiding in a bush while gunshot sounds played in the background.
The clip was captioned, “Bandit is in Atan, help us ooo.”
In another video, he appeared kneeling beside a Fulani herder while claiming he had been kidnapped.
Speaking in a video interview shared by the police on Tuesday, Oloyede admitted that the videos were staged to attract followers on TikTok.
“I was scrolling TikTok one day when I saw the bandit sound and I saw people using that sound. That is why I also used it to gain followers because the likes of Peller started somewhere,” he said.
The suspect said he filmed the first video in a bush behind his tailoring shop with the help of some young men living with him.
According to him, the first video increased activity on his TikTok account.
“Before I had 60 followers, but after I have over 1,000 followers. The first video gave me 8,000 likes,” he said.
Oloyede also said the Fulani herder featured in the second video was not involved in any criminal activity.
“The Fulani refused when I talked to him about it. But I acted begging as he refused,” he said.
Police said the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
The command warned residents against spreading false information capable of causing panic or disturbing public peace.
