Kano : TikToker bags one year in prison over cross-dressing video

A magistrate court sitting in Kano has sentenced a well-known TikTok content creator, Abubakar Usman, widely recognized by his stage name Kilina, to one year in a correctional facility.

Presiding over the case at Magistrate Court No. 21, Magistrate Hadiza Muhammad Hassan also gave the social media personality an option of paying a fine of N100,000. Additionally, the court ordered him to compensate the Kano State Film Censorship Board with N30,000 for what was described as a misuse of the board’s time.

Kilina was convicted on charges of promoting indecency through cross-dressing and using vulgar language in his TikTok content.

The court’s verdict followed a case initiated by the Kano State Film Censorship Board, which has increasingly taken legal action against digital creators over content it deems inappropriate.

While delivering the judgment, Magistrate Hassan issued a stern warning to Kilina, cautioning him against repeating such conduct.

She warned, “Should he repeat such offences, the court would have no option but to impose the full sentence without the option of a fine on him.”

Kilina’s conviction adds to the list of prosecutions secured by the state’s film censorship board as it intensifies efforts to regulate social media content within Kano.