Misleading! News platforms report Sule Yellow’s arrest as recent

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Abdulsalam Baba Mahmud

Claim: Several news platforms reported in June 2026 that notorious TikTok bandit, Sule Yellow, had been arrested by the Nigerian Army, with accounts suggesting it was a recent security operation.

Verdict: Misleading! While security operatives genuinely arrested Sule Yellow, available evidence shows that the arrest had already been reported in March 2026 by credible media outlets, including TheCable and TVC News.

Full Text

On June 6, 2026, several media platforms, including Oyo News, PM News Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria, and Nairaland, reported that a notorious TikTok bandit, Sule Yellow, was arrested by the Nigerian Army.

The reports suggested a recent development, with some publications presenting the arrest as a fresh security breakthrough.

Oyo News post (archived here) caption reads, “Notorious TikTok bandit, Sule Yellow, has been arrested by the Nigerian Army after reportedly collecting ransom from a victim’s family.

The Facebook post by Oyo News as of June 24, 2026, had 18,000 likes, over 4,000 comments, and 768 shares.  

Similarly, PM News Nigeria (archived here) published a report titled, “Sule Yellow: Suspected bandit known for flashing cash on TikTok arrested.” 

Daily Post Nigeria published a story (archived here) headlined, “Nigerian army arrests popular TikTok bandit, ‘Sule Yellow’ (video).”

A comparison of the reports showed that they contained substantially identical narratives, claiming that Sule Yellow was intercepted by troops while returning to a forest hideout after allegedly collecting ransom from the family of a kidnapped victim.

Given the post’s virality and high engagement, DUBAWA decided to verify it.

Verification

DUBAWA conducted keyword searches and found that the arrest of Ule Yellow had been reported months earlier.

TheCable published a report on March 16, 2026, headlined, “Security forces arrest suspected bandit after viral livestream showing kidnappings, ransom”

The report detailed the arrest of Sule Yellow following a viral TikTok livestream in which he allegedly boasted about kidnapping activities and ransom proceeds. The Cable also described video footage showing the suspect in handcuffs surrounded by security operatives.

TVC News also published reports on the incident during the same period.

A review of the June 2026 reports and the March 2026 publications revealed striking similarities in the details, circumstances, and descriptions of the arrest, indicating that they referred to the same incident.

DUBAWA also searched for any recent statement or announcement from the Nigerian military indicating that Sule Yellow had been rearrested or newly apprehended in June 2026. We found no such statement or publication at the time of this fact-check.

Available evidence indicates that Sule Yellow was indeed arrested by security operatives, but not recently. These reports appear to have been republished or recycled.

By presenting the story without explicitly stating that the arrest had occurred months earlier, the publications created the impression that the incident was a recent development.

Conclusion

The claim that security operatives recently arrested Sule Yellow is misleading. Credible news reports show that the arrest happened in March 2026.

This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.