A Magistrate Court sitting in the Gyadi Gyadi area of Kano State has sentenced popular TikTok content creator, Umar Hashim, widely known by his online alias Tsulange, to one-year imprisonment for engaging in what the court deemed “indecent conduct” in a public space.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate Hadiza Muhammad Hassan found Hashim guilty of public misconduct following his arrest in June 2025.
The charge was brought against him by the Kano State Censorship Board after he posted a skit showing himself bathing on a public road while wearing a woman’s undergarment.
The video, which quickly went viral, sparked widespread outrage, particularly among conservative groups and religious bodies in the state, who called for immediate action against what they termed “a moral affront to societal values.”
In her ruling, Magistrate Hassan sentenced the skit maker to one year in prison. However, she granted him the option of paying a fine of ₦80,000 in lieu of serving the jail term.
The court further directed Hashim to pay an additional ₦20,000 to the Kano State Censorship Board to cover the expenses incurred during the investigation and prosecution process.
The Censorship Board, which has been actively clamping down on what it considers immoral or offensive content, stated that Hashim’s video violated the cultural and religious sensibilities of the people of Kano State.
The board reiterated its commitment to upholding public decency and warned other content creators to be mindful of the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, especially in a conservative region like Kano.
This ruling adds to the growing debate around freedom of expression, online content creation, and censorship in Nigeria, particularly as social media continues to shape pop culture among younger Nigerians.
