Days after Nigerian Tribune’s investigation, death row inmate’s account disappears on TikTok

After a report published by the Nigerian Tribune and Premium Times, TikTok has deleted the primary account linked to Elijah Oyebode, a death row inmate at the Ibara Custodial Centre, Abeokuta.

The report exposed how the convicted murderer hosted live sessions from the correctional centre against established laws.

A check on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, showed that the account @ayola.oluwafu now returns the message: “Couldn’t find this account.”

This publication could not ascertain whether the account was deleted by TikTok, by authorities at Ibara Custodial Centre, or by Oyebode himself.

The story

The investigation reveals that Mr Oyebode had been operating at least two TikTok accounts from inside the correctional centre, receiving monetary gifts from thousands of viewers who had no knowledge of his conviction.

He was convicted of the 2016 murder of Rofiat Damilola Adebisi, a final-year student of Osun State University.

During a monitored TikTok Live session on April 16, 2026, Mr Oyebode disclosed the scale of digital access inside the facility. “An individual may have two to three phones,” he said. “Facebook and TikTok are full of prisoners. They will not disclose their location to anyone. If they do video calls and people see a nice background, they will not know where they are.”

READ FULL REPORT: Convicted murderer on death row hosts TikTok live sessions, runs businesses from Nigerian prison

A second account linked to Mr Oyebode was identified through forensic analysis and witness testimony. The account was used to impersonate Omolola Awoyele, a prominent TikTok Live host. “Elijah created an account using my name and uploaded my picture, which meant he could potentially use it to scam people online,” Awoyele told the Saturday Tribune. After she confronted him directly, he apologised and removed her image.

Account deleted

Before publication, Nigerian Tribune contacted TikTok’s Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa, Keagile Makgoba. At that time, Makgoba requested the account handle and asked for a deadline extension to conduct an internal investigation. No further substantive response was received.

The account remained live and active through the publication of the investigation on August 1, 2026. However, upon another check on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the account had been deleted.

This medium contacted TikTok on Tuesday seeking clarification on whether the account was removed by the platform or by the account holder.

The Nigerian Correctional Service has not released any statement in response to the published investigation.

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