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Viral video of people smashing solar panels is not from Sokoto

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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Viral video of people smashing solar panels is not from Sokoto
screenshot of the viral post

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AN X user, @_Mr_Richard, has posted a video showing a group of men and women using hammers to smash rows of solar panels, with a claim that the incident occurred in Sokoto State because residents believed the panels were preventing rainfall.

The user posted the video on July 29, 2026, with the caption: “Happening somewhere in Sokoto where the villagers believe that the solar panels have blocked the rain from falling. If you think education is evil, try ignorance.”

CLAIM

Video shows residents of Sokoto destroying solar panels because they believed the panels were preventing rainfall.

screenshot of the viral post

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

A keyword search conducted by The FactCheckHub using terms such as “people destroying solar panels” led to the original version of the footage on YouTube.

The video was uploaded in February 2018 by Climate Samurai, a news platform that reports on renewable energy, climate and environmental issues. It was published with the title: “Solar Modules at 100 MW Solar Plant in Maharashtra Destroyed Due to Non-Payment of Wages.”

READ : Video of youths rejoicing after winning competition falsely used to depict Sokoto residents’ excitement over US military strike

The first 30 seconds of the original footage identify the location as Chalisgaon, Maharashtra, a state in western India, contradicting the claim that the incident occurred in Sokoto State.

Further checks show that the video was widely reported in India at the time. According to an earlier fact-check published by The Logical Indian in 2018, the destruction occurred after workers at the solar plant protested over unpaid wages. The workers reportedly vandalised solar panels at the facility following a dispute over salary payments.

The footage was also shared in 2018 by Gargi Rawat, an environmental journalist and anchor with NDTV, further confirming its origin and context.

Although the video has resurfaced several times on social media and has been falsely linked to different African countries, there is no evidence that it was recorded in Nigeria or that the panels were destroyed because residents believed they were preventing rainfall.

VERDICT

The claim that the video shows residents of Sokoto destroying solar panels because they believed the panels blocked rainfall is MISLEADING. The footage was recorded in Chalisgaon, Maharashtra, India, in 2018 and shows workers vandalising solar panels during a protest over the non-payment of wages.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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