By Shamsudeen Abubakar
As the evening sun’s warmth waned, casting a golden glow over the Bakasi hostel, Jabir Sani, a final year student of Educational Foundations Department, sat outside, with his eyes fixed intently on his phone. His face, once radiant with joy, now seemed drained of color, his smile replaced by a deep frown that etched lines of worry on his forehead. The sound of his voice, laced with anger and frustration, carried among his friends as they broke their fast outside their hostels, the evening air thick with the scent of dates and Tiara Juice.
Meanwhile, Jabir’s neighbours were oblivious to his turmoil, busy joking and laughing with each other. Some savoured their cika-mutu (concoction), while others watched YouTube videos, courtesy of a hotspot provided by one of them. But Jabir’s attention was elsewhere, his mind consumed by the conversation he was about to have.
As he rose to answer the call, his voice grew louder, his words tumbling out like a caged lion’s roar. A husband who had lost everything in a carteen couldn’t have sounded more desperate. But then, a calm voice on the other end welcomed his anger, “ It’s all a prank, nothing had happened.”
“Masoyiya (Sweetheart), what kind of prank is this? It’s never funny, and I would have ended up with everything here tonight.” Jabir’s response was a mix of relief and anger.
He revealed to this reporter that the girl in question was his niece, and he had been in love with her for about 10 years. But she had been pranking him— saying he had betrayed her.
Furthermore, as he played the voice notes and recordings from his phone, his emotions poured out. “Yaya Jabir, I overheard what you did to me, but it’s never a problem. Trust is everything in life, and I will never believe you could do such a thing to me. People don’t take trust as a valuable thing now and can break the trust you have for them.”
His voice cracked as he continued, “If not that my mother didn’t pick my call, I would have told her it’s all over between us. How can I be in a war ground (UDUS) and she’s playing with my heart? I recorded that my Teaching Practice (TP) result was nowhere to be found that day, but she came with this and told me it’s a joke.”
Prank: A Growing Threat to Social Harmony
Prank videos have become a staple of online entertainment, but beneath the laughter and humour a more sinister reality. For unsuspecting victims being publicly humiliated, embarrassed or frightened can have severe consequences for their mental health.
Adam Nafiu, a 300-level student of Political Science strongly believes that pranks can have a profound impact on a person’s mental well-being.
He said, “Prank can result in mental health issues ranging from emotional distress, loss of trust, social anxiety and many more when publicly embarrassing or ridiculing someone..some pranks are even harmful, driving at the victim’s injury.”
Nafiu emphasized that the community leaders, educators, and parents can create a safe environment by setting boundaries and rules for online behaviour and monitoring children’s online activities.
Similarly, Habeeb Temako, a 300-level Law student, shares his personal experience with pranks, recalling how they were a part of his childhood play routine. However, he also remembered how his parents would warn him about potential psychological effects of pranks, particularly for people with hypertension.
Temako confessed that he disliked being pranked as a child, citing the nervous shocks it would cause him. “Anytime I was pranked by a friend, however slightly, it would take me considerable time to regain my proper frame of mind,” he said. “Though it doesn’t cause me health issues, it tests and deals with my conscious fragility.”
When Laughter Turns to Concern
In recent times, pranksters have taken the interest by storm, leaving many in stitches with their creative and often proactive stunts. However, some pranks have raised concerns about the well-being and safety of those involved.
Abdullahi Maruf Adisa, popularly known as “The Trinity,” recently went viral with a video showing him pushing a lady carrying two crates of eggs, causing her to bruise and suffer emotional distress. The video generated over 1.2K views, 172 comments, with many expressing concern about the potential consequences of such pranks.
Commenters warned Adisa to be mindful of who he pranks, citing the risk of physical harm or emotional trauma. One commenter, “One day you will do this to a stammerer and he or she will chuck a knife at you before you know it. Mind who you prank; people are vexed in this country.”
Similarly, a video of Kun Zlim pranking a mechanic sparked concern among viewers. The mechanic was visibly scared, falling, and emotionally unstable. Many commenters warned Kun Zlim not to take his prank too far, citing the risk of causing harm or even death.
The Dark Side of Pranking: Consequences and Risks
Medically, prank is a potential threat to psychological harm which may give rise to sudden claims of life. Legally however, prank is an assault, an unjustified interference with the body of another person. Frightening someone without their consent is an invasion that can give the right to the victim to claim damages against the perpetrator. This is because prank is generally regarded as trespass to a person which prohibits putting a person in fear of physical interference without just cause.
According to a report by Stanley Alieke from The Cable Nigeria stated that, Pranks may seem harmless, but they can cause emotional distress, physical harm, and even death. The law holds pranksters accountable for their actions, as seen in a recent case in America where Kevin, an employee, was pranked despite warning his company about his anxiety disorder. Kevin sued them and won 450, 000 dollars in compensation.
Pranksters facing serious legal repercussions, including criminal prosecution and civil liability. They can be charged with harassment, stalking, and disruption of public peace. Victims can also use them for assault, battery, and negligence. In Severe cases, pranksters can be charged for involuntary manslaughter, carrying a punishment of life improvement as stated in Section 325 of the Criminal Code Act.
A Different Story For Tina
Abuh Ojochide Tina, a 400-level Education English student, shared her thoughts on prank videos. “I find them entertaining, but I’m skeptical about their authenticity,” she said. Tina believes many prank videos are staged, citing their high production value as evidence. “Some pranks seem too expensive to be true,” she observed. While acknowledging the desire for content creation, Tina noted that not all prank videos are harmless, particularly for the victims involved.
She further stated that, sometimes prank videos are entertaining. “I laugh hard when I find any prank video funny but get irritated when it isn’t,” she added that, specifically, she had shared a few prank videos on Whatsapp, adding that she sometimes doesn’t want to be pranked.
She believed that if pranked videos are not planned, then it’s definitely going to cross personal boundaries. “Not every victim will find it funny even when they get compensated after the prank. I won’t like it if pranked videos are banned because I find them very entertaining.” She added.
“Pranks are harmful and can lead to someone’s death”— Safwan Abubakar
Like others, Safwan Abubakar, a 300-level student of the English and Literary Studies Department expresses a mixed sentiment. He believed that pranks can sometimes be entertainment and can have a negative impact on people especially those with high blood pressure (BP).
“Prank sometimes is funny but mostly very harmful and can lead to someone’s death, illness such as high blood pressure (BP), and other medical diseases,” he explained, adding that it is very harmful to society and its people.
Safwan added that people need to be very careful with the way they behave today and pranksters need to stop violating people’s privacy. They should seek permission before they start videoing someone.
Insights from Legal Expert
Speaking with the News Digest Press, Attahiru Haruna Abdulkadir, a lawyer with Law Lead Consult in Abuja stressed that pranks can be viewed from both a criminal and civil perspective. While there may not be a specific law that directly addresses pranks, existing laws can be applied to prosecute pranksters.
“The Criminal Code Act has provisions that can take care of pranks,” he explained. “Section 249, for instance, deals with conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. If a prank causes public disturbance or harm, the perpetrator can be arrested without a warrant and liable to improvement for up to one month.”
Abdulkadir also cited Section 516 of the Criminal Code. “If multiple individuals agree to perform a prank that causes harm and breach of peace, they can be prosecuted under this section.”
From a civil perspective, victims of pranks can sue for damages under the Law of Tort. He added that there is something called ‘nervous shock.’ If a prank causes emotional distress or physical harm, the victim can claim compensation.
He also highlighted the issue of defamation, where pranksters publish content that attacks someone’s character. “This can have serious consequences for the victim’s reputation and well-being.”
As the Prankster phenomenon continues to grow, Abdulkadir empathized on the need for lawmakers to take a more deliberate approach. “Stiffer punishments should be prescribed to deter pranksters from causing harm. With more people becoming content creators, caution is being thrown to the wind.”
His concerns are echoed by many who have fallen victim to pranks. Some pranksters have even gone as far as sexually harassing their victims, causing emotional damage and destroying relationships.
He finally concluded that pranks should be outlawed, and if that’s not possible, they should be regulated.”We need to protect citizens from injurious practices of these content creators,” he affirmed.
*This report is published as part of the writer’s internship with Nollywire, facilitated by the National Association of Campus Journalists(NACJ), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.*