‘I sought online fame like Peller’ – Mastermind of staged Ogun outlaw clip comes clean

A video interview posted by the Ogun State Police Command on X on Tuesday features the suspect, alongside Ogun State Police PRO, Oluseyi Babaseyi, discussing his actions, with a screengrab of the conversation also shared on the platform, courtesy of X/OgunPoliceNG.

n

Kowiu Oloyede, the suspect arrested by the Ogun State Police Command, has confessed to creating and circulating fake bandit attack videos on TikTok in an attempt to gain followers and become popular online, drawing inspiration from streamer Habeeb Hamzat, also known as “Peller”.

n

In the video interview, Oloyede introduced himself as a 25-year-old resident of Ibaragun in Ogun State and owner of the TikTok account, which was created in January 2026 to showcase his fashion business, stating, “My name is Kowiu Oloyede, I am from Ibaragun in Ogun State, and I am a fashion designer”.

n

Oloyede explained that he stumbled upon a trending “bandit” sound on TikTok while working in his shop and decided to imitate other creators using the same audio, saying, “I didn’t get information from anywhere, I was making clothes in my shop when I checked TikTok and saw a bandits trending sound”.

n

He used the sound to create content, hoping to gain followers, just like his role model, Peller, and stated, “I used it so I could get followers because people like Peller started from somewhere, maybe God can help me from there, that was what I wanted to do, not knowing it would boomerang”.

n

Oloyede chose a bush behind his shop as the filming location, as many other creators using the sound recorded their videos in similar settings, and stated, “Those using the sound were doing it inside the bush, some in their houses and streets, since many did theirs in the bush, I also went to the bush behind my shop to create the video”.

n

According to Oloyede, some boys staying with him assisted him in producing the clips, and he disclosed that the first video posted on Monday quickly gained attention online, with viewers questioning whether the alleged attack was real.

n

He replied in the comment section that it was only content creation, but later made another clip involving a Fulani herder, stating, “There’s this Fulani man who usually comes to my compound, when I saw his cows eating there, I got another inspiration to create another video like I wanted to steal in the Fulani man’s compound”.

n

Oloyede approached the Fulani man and persuaded him to participate, and his brother recorded the moment, which was then posted as a video, with Oloyede stating, “I approached him and persuaded him, he initially declined, and while I was begging him, my brother was recording the moment, and I posted the video”.

n

Before the videos went viral, Oloyede had only about 60 followers on TikTok, but the clips pushed his followers beyond 1,000 within a short period, and he admitted that he was excited by the sudden attention, but did not realise the videos were causing fear and panic among residents.

n

Oloyede stated, “I didn’t know the video was causing panic, I had nobody to tell me what I was doing was wrong”, and expressed his lack of awareness about the impact of his actions.

n

The Ogun State Police Command had earlier confirmed the suspect’s arrest following complaints that he circulated misleading videos falsely claiming bandits had invaded Atan Ota community, and reports indicated that the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation that the videos were fabricated solely to gain social media attention and followers.

n

Police authorities recovered photographs and video evidence linked to the fake content during preliminary investigations, and the suspect may be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Abeokuta, for further investigation.

n

The police warned content creators against spreading false information capable of creating public panic, stressing that online content must remain within the confines of the law, and reassured residents that security agencies in Ogun State remain proactive in tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes.