Breaking: Court Adjourns Case as Police Fail to Produce TikToker ‘Tumma’ Gabriel

After being placed in solitary confinement for more than a month, Gabriel was arrested for reportedly making disparaging statements about Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Popular TikToker Timothy Gabriel, popularly known as “Tumma,” was not brought to court by the Nigeria Police Force on Monday for a trial, thus the judge had to postpone the case until April 29, 2025.

After being placed in solitary confinement for more than a month, Gabriel was arrested for reportedly making disparaging statements about Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

According to court documents, the IGP is the primary cause of the case as well as the complainant. According to the Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, etc.) Act 2025 (as amended in 2024), Gabriel is accused of cyberstalking by the IGP.

The first count against Gabriel is that he made up the claim that the governor of Lagos State is an armed robber with a penchant for robbing the state coffers. His TikTok account, OFFICIAL_TUMMA, was used to make the statement, which was purportedly intended to harm the governor’s reputation. This is punished under Section 24(2)(c)(i) of the Cybercrimes Act and is deemed an offense under Section 24(2)(a).

Count Two: Gabriel is also charged with uploading a video that allegedly threatened the IGP’s reputation, a violation of the Cybercrimes Act that carries a similar penalty.

On February 6, 2025, highly armed officers invaded Gabriel’s location in Mpape, Abuja, and took him into custody. He was then moved to the Nigeria Police Force’s Cybercrime Centre.

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According to earlier reports, Gabriel’s detention was ordered by IGP Egbetokun because of statements he made in his videos. He has been detained for more than a month, but he has been refused bail, which raises questions about human rights abuses and the abuse of authority to suppress opponents.

The incident on Monday feeds into rumors that the police are purposefully obstructing court cases in order to hold Gabriel for an extended period of time.