BREAKING: Court Adjourns Trial Of Popular TikToker 'Tumma' Over Defamation Charges By Senator Ned Nwoko, Wife, Orders Remand In Kuje Prison

Justice Yilwa H. Joseph of the Federal High Court Abuja has remanded a Nigerian popular TikToker, Timothy Gabriel, also known as "Tumma," in Kuje Correctional Centre over alleged cyberstalking and injurious falsehood charges against him.

The police filed a two-count charge, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/235/025, between the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, as the Complainant and Timothy Gabriel, as the Defendant. The charge accused him of cyberstalking and making injurious falsehoods against Senator Ned Nwoko and his wife, the actress Regina Daniels.

When the case came up on Wednesday, the Defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Despite his lawyers' efforts to secure bail, the court ordered Gabriel's remand to the correctional facility and adjourned the trial to October 8, 2025, after noting that Gabriel's bail motion was not in the file.

SaharaReporters gathered that following the service of the charge on the defendant on June 27, 2025, the defendant, through his lawyers, Dr. S. M. Oyeghe and A. K. Musa, Esq., filed a motion for bail on June 30, 2025.

However, during the proceedings, the Court noted that the said motion was not in the file and declared that it could not adjourn to hear the motion.

Consequently, the trial judge, Justice Y.H. Joseph ordered that the defendant be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case to October 8, 2025, for trial.

SaharaReporters reported on June 21 that Gabriel had been remanded at the Keffi Prison in Nasarawa State for allegedly insulting Regina, the wife of Senator Nwoko, who represents the Delta North senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate.

The TikToker was sent to prison by a Magistrate despite a protest by his lawyer.

The lawyer had challenged the Magistrate on the propriety of the remand order granted to the police prosecutor working for the Senator.

Nwoko, through his Media Directorate, has vowed to initiate legal proceedings against a social media influencer, Gabriel, over what he described as defamatory and misleading claims targeting both him and his wife.

In a statement issued on June 21, Nwoko noted that Gabriel not only made baseless and vulgar accusations but also openly dared him and his wife to respond, thereby inviting legal action.

The Senator stated that the challenge has now been accepted, adding that no individual should expect to evade accountability by hiding behind social media antics or public protests after making such serious allegations.

He stated: “We have taken full notice of the vile, reckless, and malicious statements made by one Timothy Gabriel, alias Tuma, and the accompanying attempts to dress lawless behaviour in the garb of activism or press freedom.

“Gabriel not only spewed defamatory lies against Regina Daniels, my wife, an accomplished actress, but also me, and he did so repeatedly, with clear intent to provoke, incite, and destroy reputations.

“There is no democracy anywhere in the world where freedom of speech includes freedom to defame, blackmail, or incite hatred under the guise of online influence.

“The internet is not above the law. Those who think they can assassinate character and go unpunished are about to face the full weight of Nigeria’s legal system."

"My legal team also representing Regina-Daniels Nwoko is already taking every step necessary to prosecute Gabriel and his enablers through every legal means available,” he said.

“This includes both criminal defamation and civil suits, for which the evidence is overwhelming.”

"Mr Gabriel and any co-conspirators should prepare to face the law in the most decisive manner. The real trouble has only just begun and it will not be fought on social media, but in court, through the strength of evidence and the rule of law,” he added.

“Let the public be assured; defamation is not activism, and I will ensure that the lines are drawn clearly in the courtroom.”