A VIRAL post circulating on social media, shared by Facebook pages including Chuks TV, claims that former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan recently paid a visit to Nnamdi Kanu, in prison custody.
The claim features an image purportedly depicting both men walking together through a corridor, accompanied by quotes attributed to Jonathan, in which he allegedly offered Kanu words of encouragement.
The caption on the claim reads:
“BREAKING: GOODLUCK JONATHAN REPORTEDLY VISITS MAZI NNAMDI KANU. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly paid a visit to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in prison custody, with words of encouragement said to have been shared during the visit.”
As of 23 September 2026, the post has generated over 400 likes, 200 comments and 45 shares.
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CLAIM
Image shows former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan visiting IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu in prison.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Kanu is the founder and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group campaigning for the restoration of the Republic of Biafra.
Biafra was a breakaway state declared in southeastern Nigeria in May 1967. Its secession triggered the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted for 30 months and ended in January 1970, when the region was reintegrated into Nigeria.
Kanu spent about a decade facing treason and terrorism-related charges before he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on 20 November 2025.
In delivering the judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution had established that Kanu’s broadcasts and directives to IPOB members contributed to deadly attacks on security personnel and civilians in southeastern Nigeria.
Kanu was initially arrested in October 2015 and charged with offences including terrorism and treasonable felony over his involvement in the campaign for Biafra’s independence.
Kanu jumped bail and left the country in September 2017 after a military raid on his home. The court revoked his bail in March 2019 and ordered his re-arrest.
Kanu was subsequently arrested in Kenya in June 2021 and brought back to Nigeria, where he was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja while his trial continued.
Following his conviction and sentencing, Kanu was transferred from DSS custody to a correctional facility in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria.
A review by The FactCheckHub across credible national news platforms yielded no media reports, official statements, or confirmation from Jonathan’s media team or Kanu’s defense counsel regarding any meeting between both individuals in correctional custody.
Furthermore, a digital forensic examination of the photograph accompanying the viral claim, using deepfake and AI detection software confirmed that the image was synthetically generated.
An analysis conducted via Sightengine indicated a 99 percent probability that the image is AI-generated. And further evaluation using Hive Detect rated the media as 85.1 percent likely to be an AI-generated image.
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A visual examination of the image also reveals several irregularities associated with AI-generated content, including distorted facial features, unnatural lighting and inconsistencies in the alignment of the corridor’s background structures.
VERDICT
The claim that former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan visited Nnamdi Kanu in prison custody is FALSE. The image circulating alongside the claim is AI-generated.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
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