A 25-year-old fashion designer, Kowiu Oloyede, who was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for spreading a false video claiming bandits had invaded Atan in Ado-Odo/Ota, has admitted that his sole motivation was to gain social media fame inspired by popular Nigerian streamer Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller.
The suspect, a resident of Sokoto Road in Atan-Ota, posted the first video on his TikTok page “Nice Boy” the previous Monday, showing himself hiding in a bush with gunshot sounds in the background and a distress caption urging people for help.
He appeared in a white singlet and black shorts alongside two others, all acting panicked and claiming they could not find their mother.
Two days later, he posted a follow-up clip showing himself kneeling next to another person, pretending they had been kidnapped and begging for mercy from a herdsman.
He took the second video down the following day. The two videos reportedly grew his follower count from just 60 to over 1,300.
Police operatives moved swiftly and arrested Kowiu on Saturday. Speaking to journalists on Monday, he explained that he had noticed people using gunshot sound effects on TikTok to attract followers and decided to do the same, believing it was how Peller rose to fame.
He said the first video was filmed behind his shop with the help of his younger siblings.
He added that after the first video went viral, the positive response encouraged him to make a second one.
For that clip, he approached a local Fulani herdsman he knew and asked him to participate, but the man declined.
While kneeling to plead with him, his siblings secretly recorded the exchange, capturing the herdsman’s voice without his knowledge.
Kowiu said a neighbour had encouraged him before he posted the first video, telling him it could help him gain followers and become famous.
He insisted he had no idea the content was harmful or illegal, adding that he had been aiming to reach 8,000 likes when he made the second video.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, described the arrest as a warning to content creators across the state, stressing that actions capable of causing public panic would not be tolerated.
He confirmed that Kowiu confessed to fabricating both videos purely to grow his online following.
The spokesperson also reassured the public that the Ogun State Command has no kidnap victims in custody, noting that all kidnappers who had collected ransoms have been neutralised and their victims rescued, under the leadership of CP Bode Ojajuni.
He extended appreciation to the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for his support in helping the command fulfil its mandate.
