Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
ON SATURDAY, October 23, 2020, when Baze University, Abuja, had her combined 7th and 8th convocation ceremony, a viral post circulated online that a former Nigerian Senator, Dino Melaye, had graduated from the institution with a first-class honours.
The claim which was shared on Twitter and Facebook by different users also asserted that the former senator emerged as the best graduating law student of the institution.
Similarly, the news of Melaye emerging as the best law student at Baze University was published on Peoples Gazette.
“Mr Melaye’s aide, Bode Gbadebo, posted a picture of him on Facebook, alongside other individuals adorned in an academic dress, with the caption “Senator Dino Melaye graduates from Baze University, emerges best graduating law student,” the news read in part.
THE CLAIM
Dino Melaye made first-class honours, emerged best graduating law student at Baze University.
A screenshot of one of the claims.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false.
The Fact-CheckHub during a fact-finding mission to Baze University found out that the former lawmaker did not graduate with a first-class honours degree and was not the best graduating law student of the institution.
The school’s registrar Mani Ibrahim Ahmad, who spoke with The FactCheckHub stated that those that graduated with first-class honours had ‘First-Class’ boldly written in front of their names in the school convocation ceremony programme booklet.
Ahmad added that, same goes for those that graduated as best graduating student in each department.
“The convocation programme booklet already clarified those that graduated with first class, as well as those that graduated as best graduating student in each department,” Ahmad noted.
The FactCheckHub also checked the convocation programme booklet for verification. From the booklet, it was observed that Melaye was among the 91 law students that made the university’s 8th convocation list.
Ten of the 91 students graduated with first-class honours, the senator was not part of them.
Senator Dino Melaye’s is number 7 on the list at page 37 of Baze University 7th and 8th convocation booklet.
Furthermore, the lawmaker did not graduate as the best law student either as that was Rosemary Keccy Busari who graduated as best in the department and and in the faculty.
Number 77 shows the best graduating law student as Rosemary Busari.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Dino Melaye made first-class honours and emerged best graduating law student at Baze University is FALSE.
IN Nigeria, a memorial was held on the anniversary of what has come to be known as the 2020 Lekki shooting.
The incident happened when security forces came to dispel a protest, christened EndSARS, primarily championed by youth against police brutality.
In Abuja, the memorial was held at Unity Fountain where they marched towards the National Assembly complex, while in Lagos they drove through the Lekki Toll Gate.
However, on the same day, the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed held a press conference where he made numerous claims about the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
The FactCheckHub verified these claims.
Claim 1:
The military did not shoot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20 2020.
The minister during his speech made on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 stated that the military did not shoot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate .
He said, “With the preponderance of evidence against any massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th 2020, we are once again reiterating what we said one year ago, that: The military did not shoot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th 2020.”
FINDINGS show that the military men actually shot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct.20, 2020. Multiple reports from both national and international media revealed.
For instance, the BBC stated that the military men were shooting into the air where the protesters were gathered on the said day.
“Before we left the scene, they [military] were shooting into the air and while we were trying to find a safe cover, I saw a young man who seemed to be struggling for breath.
“I think what must have caused his situation must have been the sudden shock of the sporadic shooting from the military and of course the environment was tense.
“The shooting continued for about 20 minutes and we had to lie on our chests and move away from the crowd because of the high risk of stampede. My editor had to approach one of the soldiers to identify us as journalists before they allowed us a safe pass. We could only do that after about 20- 25 minutes of continuous shooting,” the report read in part.
Similarly, the protesters who were present at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020 told the CNN that the military men shoot at them while at the protest ground.
Also, a former spokesman of the Nigerian Army Sani Usman, said that the soldiers fired blank bullets at the Lekki Toll Gate where the protesters were present. He clarified that the soldiers shot blank bullets and not live ammunition.
THE VERDICT: The claim is FALSE. Multiple reports show that the military shoot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20 2020.
Claim 2:
There were neither bodies nor blood from Lekki Toll Gate incident
The minister in his speech also said “…And there was no massacre at the toll gate. The only ‘massacre’ recorded was in the social media, hence there were neither bodies nor blood.”
FINDINGS show that some protesters sustained injuries and some died. This was reported by both indegenous and foreign media.
Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo in a three-part series, revealed names and faces of some of the dead. He also documented those that sustained injuries at the October 20, 2020, incident.
Similarly, CNN reported with graphic imagery of injury and death from the incident.
Furthermore, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in an interview here and here admitted that two people were killed from Lekki shootings.
THE VERDICT: The claim is FALSE. Multiple reports show that people died and some others sustained injuries from the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
MULTIPLE posts on social media claim that a bandit has been recruited into the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The posts have a photo collage made-up of a screenshot of a Customs officer and that of a bandit which was taken alongside the governor of Katsina state, Bello Masari.
One of the post made on Facebook reads; “From bandit to Customs, no interview, nothing just express terrorist government”.
Another on Twitter archived here reads; “Can you imagine? From bandit to Customs officer”.
The tweet made by Odinakabiafra with the handle @odinakabiafra2 has received over 2000 engagements with more than half of it on retweets.
THE CLAIM
The bandit was recruited into the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The claim on Facebook and Twitter.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false.
Nigeria has been plagued by banditry on one side and the Boko Haram insurgency on another.
In a bid to solve the menace, government at various levels deployed different tactics which include peace negotiations with bandits and deradicalisation scheme which seeks to reintegrate Boko haram defectors into the society through Operation safe corridor programme.
These tactics, have been met with resistance from some quarters, who say the bandits or insurgents now christened ‘Repentant Boko haram’ or ‘Repentant Bandits’ are getting a bargain at the expense of law abiding citizens.
The claim making round is birthed from this atmosphere.
Findings show that the bandit in the picture with Masari, the governor of Katsina is known as ‘Buharin Daji’ who was a kingpin within Zamfara and Katsina states until his death.
The picture was taken during one of the numerous peace and reconciliation negotiations.
Katsina State Governor, Bello Masari photographed with Buharin Daji during a peace negotiation.
The second image was a screenshot from a viral video, which shows a disoriented customs officers in what appears to be a formal setting made up of different security agencies.
Screenshot from the video where the Officer appears disoriented.
The officer appears to not know the procedure of when to salute, go for a handshake or whom to salute. This generated comments on social media that a “novice” was recruited without going through any formal training.
Comment on the officer’s behaviour.Comments resulting from the officer’s behaviour.
The NCS has however debunked the allegation that he was a bandit and or that he is a novice. In a statement, the Customs Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, said “for the avoidance of doubt, the Officer in question was recruited through a rigorous process and trained in 2011 and has just grown to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Customs, (3 stars)”.
Furthermore, the FactCheckHub enhanced and compared the faces from the two images and observed that their facial features like nose, eyes, ears and forehead are different.
An enhanced and zoom in image shows the facial difference between the two.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Customs officer in the video is the same person as the bandit is FALSE.
The President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) made numerous claims about the progress and achievements of his administration including effort made to combat COVID-19.
The FactCheckHub checked his claims in relation to COVID-19 and the country’s response.
Claim 1:
COVID-19 test Centres in Nigeria rose from 4 to 140 centres
During his speech made on September 24, 2020 in New York, Buhari told delegates about his administration efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic which he noted was “rewarded with moderate success”.
He said “At the outset, we recognised detection and contact tracing to be important tools in combating the virus. In this connection, from a mere four laboratories with testing and detection capacities, we ramped up the facilities to over 140 centres today.”
However as as September 25, the testing centres have increased to 150. There are 84 COVID-19 public laboratories, 58 approved fee-based private laboratories and eight corporate laboratories. These sums up to 150.
THE VERDICT: The claim that testing and detection centre for COVID-19 ramped up to over 140 is TRUE.
Claim 2:
Over 40, 000 health care workers trained on infection, prevention and control measures
President Buhari also noted his administration’s effort in building the capacity of health workers. He said “in addition, over 40,000 health care workers have recently been trained on Infection, Prevention and Control measure with the support of various partners.”
FINDINGS: Media reports indicate that over 40,000 heath workers have been trained across the country in connection to COVID-19 management, prevention and vaccination.
In August, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, told the press that “We are currently wrapping up the training of about 40,739 health workers across the national, state and ward levels on our phase two strategic vaccine roll out plan with focus on improving the delivery, communication, data management, management of the vaccines and logistics that are needed.”
At various points since the pandemic different government officials, partners and international bodies spoke about trainings of health workers.
The National Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Phillips Ekpe told the FactCheckHub in an interview confirmed that different categories of health workers across the country were trained. He however could not state the exact number.
THE VERDICT: Reports indicate that over 40,000 health workers in Nigeria have been trained in various capacity. Therefore, the claim is TRUE.
Claim 3
Nigeria has established 16 infectious disease treatment centres
President Buhari also noted that the country established 16 infectious centres, He said “Through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, we have established 16 infectious disease treatment centres located within our Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMC).”
FINDINGS: The FactCheckHub reached out to the spokesperson of the NCDC, Emeka Oguano to verify the claim, but he referred to the department of hospital services at the Federal Ministry of Health, even though, the president said these centres were established through them.
Deputy Director of Information at the federal ministry of health, Segun Adetola also did not respond when he was contacted.
In June the NCDC said it commissioned it fifth infectious disease treatment centre in 2021 while 11 more were at various stages of developments. This was during the commissioning of the facility in FMC Katsina.
In December 2020, an infectious disease treatment centre was established at FMC Keffi in Nasarawa state. Prior to that, an infectious disease centre was commissioned at the University of Abuja Teaching hospital.
A check through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) database of emergency projects awarded for the containment and treatment of COVID-19 show that the infectious disease treatment and isolation centre at the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri, Imo State has also been completed.
THE VERDICT: The claim is TRUE.The FactCheckHub can confirm that the country has 16 infectious diseases treatment centres.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo on Monday, October 11, 2021, said Inflation in the country trended downwards over the last five months.
This statement generated murmurs as it was made on the heels of rising cost of living in Nigeria. In September, for instance, the cost of cooking gas rose by over 10 percent in less than two months.
THE CLAIM
Inflation in Nigeria trended downwards over the last five months.
THE FINDINGS
Osinbajo who spoke during the Mid-Term Ministerial Performance Review Retreat, said “inflation has trended downwards over the last five months falling into about 17 percent during the second quarter of this year although food inflation as you know is still very troubling and food production and supply has been affected by security challenges.”
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that there was a slight decrease in inflation within the reference period.
Nigeria’s inflation data visualised by Trading Economics.
Data from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics show that Nigeria’s annual inflation rate eased for a fifth straight as at when Osinbajo made the statement.
It reduced to 17.01 per cent in August 2021, from 17.38 per cent in the the pervious month, July. It was the lowest inflation rate since January despite the naira’s exchange rate falling at the parallel market.
This was the trend April to August as the preceding months all showed reduction.
Data released by the NBS after Osinbajo’s statement showed a continued downward trend of inflation to the sixth month. September recorded 16.63 per cent, from 17.01 per cent in August. This represents a 0.38 per cent points drop from the previous month.
Inflation trend showing a drop in September making it the sixth month. Visualisation by The ICIR.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria’s inflation trended downwards over the last five months is TRUE.
A claim is circulating on social media that the government is giving students and business owners who are within the 13 to 65 age bracket N150,000 to N550,000 grant.
This it says the government is doing under a supposed National Youth Empowerment Fund (NYEF). It called on interested applicants to fill an online application.
This claim which has been shared repeatedly on WhatsApp and other platforms reads: (SIC) “The National Youth Empowerment Funds is vision into giving out N150,000 to N550,000 grant to every citizen under the age of 13-65 years from 2021 – 2024.”
It added that “October payments has began for those that have registered, register to be part of the beneficiaries.”
THE CLAIM
Government is disbursing N150,000 to N550,000 grant to student and business owners who are between 13 t0 65 age range.
A screenshot of the claim circulated on WhatsApp.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show the claim is false.
Aside the grammatical errors, the content of the broadcast message shared on WhatsApp is self contradictory.
It initially stated that the fund is a minimum of N150,000 and maximum of N550,000, but in the next paragraph where it delineates what each age bracket can get, it stated that those within the 25-65 age brackets gets N400,000 to N700,000. The maximum figure has shifted.
Furthermore, a look at the website the claim directs too has similar features with the websites The FactCheckHub has verified and found to be false here, here, here, and here.
The website after completing the form redirected to an adult content platform.
In addition even though it incorporated logos and graphics from the Federal Government-led Nigeria Youth Investment Fund , all the menu tabs of the website redirects to the same form page archived here. A click on the ‘Home page’, ‘Events’ and ‘Mail Us’ tab on the menu redirects to the same page which contains a black background, white texts, a form and congratulations to visitors.
This is an observed feature on fraudulent and phishing websites where the the tabs or social media icons do not do what they are supposed to do.
The tabs on the menu all redirects to this page.
Furthermore the broadcast message in circulation as well as the website are laced with grammatical and typographical errors.
An earlier report by The FactCheckHub captures how to spot and why such websites masquerading as what they are not abound and circulates primarily on WhatsApp.
THE VERDICT
Although federal and states government in Nigeria have several empowerment programmes and schemes meant to support youths and small businesses, the claim in circulation is not one of them. It is therefore FALSE.
ON the 2nd of October 2021, a tweet that claimed a groomsman wearing earrings left a wedding ceremony because he was told it was not allowed in the church went viral.
The tweet archived here, which was made by @ChefOpeyemi with the user name ‘Food Critic’ reads: “At a Baptist Church in Isolo, groomsman duties and the reverend just told me I’m not allowed to wear earrings in church. I calmly left the church, guess it’ll be the reception for me. Shout out to Nigerian Christianity, and hope they have fine dining restaurants in hell.”
This created a buzz on social media with some people praising the church for taking a stand while admonishing him to abide by the rules and some doubting if the incident actually happened as it may be a fabricated story for clout.
It is not unheard of for people to fabricate stories for social media clout or gain, hence, the FactCheckHub verified the claim.
THE CLAIM
Groomsman was not allowed to attend a church wedding for wearing earrings.
A screenshot of the viral tweet.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
A Twitter user, Adelere Victoria in a tweet archived here confirmed that the incident happened in her church.
She said during the thanksgiving service held the next day, a Sunday, the pastor prayed for Opeyemi. “He even told the groom at their thanksgiving in church today that tell that your friend that I love him”, she noted.
In a separate tweet archived here, Adelere identified the church as Victoryland Baptist Church located at Qudus Folawiyo street in Isolo, Lagos state.
Opeyemi, in his now viral tweet, had noted that the incident happened at a ‘Baptist church’ in ‘Isolo’.
Another Twitter user, who alleged Opeyemi was chasing clout in a tweet archived here shared a photo of Opeyemi and a man he referred to as the pastor. The photo was taken in what appears to be the church premises with the groom and bridal party in the background.
The groomsman, Opeyemi with the pastor at the church premises. Photo via Twitter.Image of the Baptist church retrieved via Google Street View showing window pane and wall colour similar to the ones in the image above.
The part of the building that can be seen in the photo has similarities in terms of the wall and window colours as well as the window framing from image of the Victoryland Baptist Church seen using Google Street View.
Multiple videos posted on the Facebook page of Victoryland Baptist Church has the man Opeyemi took a photo with either preaching or talking to a congregation. One of the video has a chest caption ‘Rev’d Dr Femi Ajayi’.
The FactCheckHub also called the number on the church’s Facebook page to confirm if the incident truly happened there. The person who picked up the phone call but declined to disclose his name said “I had done what the Bible teaches by correcting him lovingly and he had the right to adhere to instruction or not”.
A check on Truecaller – a web and mobile app-based platform for verifying contacts and blocking unwanted communication – shows ‘Femi Ajayi’ as the name on the number. Further checks using the WhatsApp platform shows the same Femi Ajayi and the profile photo is also that of the man Opeyemi took the photo (as shown above) with.
THE VERDICT
The claim is TRUE; the groomsman was not allowed into Victoryland Baptist Church because he wore earrings.
AN image of a man dressed in the Nigerian camouflaged Police uniform sitting in front of other men in the Police-parading-suspects style has been circulated online with the claim, he is the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in Kaduna state who was arrested for collaborating with bandits and kidnappers.
The caption of the the photo which was sent to The FactCheckHub via WhatsApp on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 for verification read “Kaduna State Deputy Commissioner of Police Command, went to give firearms to bandits and kidnappers, unfortunately, he was arrested”.
THE CLAIM
Kaduna State Deputy Commissioner of Police was arrested for giving firearms to kidnappers and bandits.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false.
The image resurfaced at a point where Nigeria is enmeshed in a wave of insecurity such as banditry and kidnapping. Kaduna is one of the states plagued by the insecurity.
A reverse search of the image showed that it has been shared across different social media with some of them dating back several years.
Furthermore, this image in some instances has been manipulated and carry varying captions.
An immediate inconsistency spotted is in the rank on the uniform worn by the man. The rank is that of an Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP), aside checking the ranking insignia of the Nigeria Police online, it was also independently confirmed to The FactCheckHub by two Police officers. This contradicts the the claim which states the man is a DCP.
Furthermore, the result from a Google Image Search showed that there have been reports published since June 2019, stating that a man impersonating an ACP was arrested in Akwa Ibom state. The picture in the report is the same image in circulation.
The man was identified as Kingsley Udoyen. The Police tagged him as fake Police, who according to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, was 53 years old, resident in Akwa Ibom state.
In addition, earlier in the year the Police had issued a social media photo card to debunk a similar viral claim.
The rebuttal which was traced to the verified security agency Twitter handle @PoliceNg was made on March 15. The Police noted “He is not a cop”, he was arrested and paraded for impersonation.
In June 2019, they announced the prosecution of the accused impostor.
The Police debunked the claim on Social media using a photo card.Police labels a similar claim as fake news on its official Twitter handle.
The Kaduna State Police Command, in April of 2021, also debunked the claim saying “The command wishes to categorically state that the image in circulation is not that of any police officer in the Kaduna Command or anywhere in Nigeria”.
“The image with camouflage uniform, wearing the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police, is one of Kingsley Udoyem, who was arrested and paraded by Akwa-Ibom Police Command on 2nd January 2019 for the offence of impersonating a police officer. Therefore, the image in circulation is not in any way connected to a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Kaduna as portrayed in the report,” the Police stated.
The Factcheckub had earlier debunked a similar claim shared with the picture where it stated a Police officer was arrested for kidnaping, this time around without adding the state.
THE VERDICT
The claim is FALSE, the Nigeria Police stated the man in the picture is an impersonator and the image has been in circulation since 2019.
A FORMER aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, on Wednesday, September 29, said Nigeria’s national debt as of 2015 was N12 trillion naira.
This debt, he said under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has shot up to N35 trillion.
He made the assertion via his social media handle while blaming the current administration for the current economic situation.
“In case you don’t know why the Naira is ₦575 to $1, and may soon become ₦1000 to $1, it is because Buhari has increased our total national debt from ₦12 trillion in 2015, to ₦35 trillion today,” the statement reads in part.
He also stated that the the naira is now less that the Zimbabwean dollar.
The claim generated reactions on social media.
THE CLAIMS
From the post two claims were deduced:
Nigeria’s national debt in 2015 was N12 trillion but it rose to N35 trillion in 2021
The Naira is less than the Zimbabwean dollar.
THE FINDINGS
Established on December 4, 2000, the Debt Management Office (DMO) of the Federal Government of Nigeria is responsible for managing and storing information regarding the country’s local and international debts.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also collects data on national and state debts.
President Buhari was sworn into office for his first term as a democratic president in May 2015.
Debt profile 2015
The debt profile is released quarterly.
To ascertain the claim, the FactCheckHub checked through the website of the DMO, It showed that as at the second quarter of 2015 which was when Buhari just came into office Nigeria’s debt was an estimated N12.12 trillion or $63.8 billion This is the grand total of the external debt stock (FG and States), domestic debt stock (FG) as well as the domestic debt of the states.
Nigeria Total Debt Profile as of June 30, 2015. Source: DMO
As of this period, the Central Bank (CBN) official exchange rate of a dollar to Naira was N196.95.
This figure was also reported by national dailies here.
Debt profile 2021
In June 2021, the DMO stated that the debt profile was an estimated N33.1 trillion or $87,239.12 billion. This figure it states was as the first quarter of the year, while a dollar exchanges for N379.5. The same figure was made public by the NBS.
The sum is an aggregate of accrued debts from the 36 states of the federation and the federal government.
As at when Omokri made the statement the CBN dollar to naira exchange rate was N410.3, which if used to convert the external debt $87,239.12 billion to naira gives an estimated N35.7 trillion.
Though, the federal government has sought to borrow more funds since the time the last debt profile was released to the public. In July, the Senate approved $8.4 billion and 490 million Euros for the federal government as its external borrowing plan. Buhari further wrote to the lawmakers for another $4 billion and 71 million Euros.
However, the current debt profile posted by the DMO stands at $87,239.12 billion.
These make Omokri’s claim to be Mostly True.
Nigeria Total Debt Profile as of March 30, 2021. Source: DMO.
Is the Naira less than the Zimbabwean dollar?
While Zimbabwe’s official currency is the Zimbabwean Dollar, Nigeria’s is the Naira.
Conversion using multiple currency converter’s places a Zimbabwean dollar at an estimated N1.13 kobo, this makes it higher than the Naira. Therefore, the claim is TRUE.
Since its introduction in 1980, the Zimbabwean dollar has undergone multiple changes in 2006, 2008, 2009 and in 2019 when it was introduced based on the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS).
Naira to Zimbabwean Dollar. Source: www.xe.com
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria’s national debt in 2015 was N12 trillion but it rose to N35 trillion in 2021 is MOSTLY TRUE and the claim that the the Naira is less than the Zimbabwean dollar is TRUE.
Update: The penultimate paragraph on changes in Zimbabwean dollar was added on 06/10/2021.
THE Boko Haram (Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād) insurgency has been on for over 12 years. During this time, it has not only transcended its physical epicentre in Northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state by spilling into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, but it has also gained a global presence through the establishment of an accessible digital presence for engagement far beyond the Chad basin.
Nigeria reported its first case of COVID-19 in February 2020, and less than two months later, user generated content (UGC) was identified showing Boko Haram’s then leader, Abubakar Shekau, purporting himself as an altruistic information-force in uncertain times, he said “I want to enlighten the world, even though they are blocking our information, God still has ways of delivering it.”
Boko Haram’s scepticism over COVID-19 and associated health mitigation measures are not isolated views within Nigeria. Powerful religious leaders, such as Chris Okotie, founder of the Household of God Church International Ministries, claimed that COVID-19 vaccines would turn recipients into vampires.
Even those in Government have added fuel to Nigeria’s mis/disinformation fire. Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi state, claimed in March 2020 that the furore around COVID-19 was 90 per cent driven by “political, economic, financial [or] material gain” and the other 10 per cent “[relates to] ordinary flu”.
A February 2021 report from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), highlights the threat posed by such commentary, indicating that more than half of respondents surveyed in Nigeria feel that the threat from COVID-19 is exaggerated.
It is expected that Boko Haram have both contributed to this metric, and (perhaps unwittingly) capitalised on it, producing content and authoritative dialogue which presented COVID-19 response protocols as specifically targeting Muslims. According to Shekau in an April 2020 speech, “you only hear of Corona, but you are telling Muslims not to pray and you close mosques”.
The UGC identified from June 2020 shows Boko Haram members continuing to ignore social distancing regulations enforced across Nigeria at the time, with Eid celebrations being conducted without masks, hands being shook and hugs shared between adherents.
As recently as April 2021, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter-cell of Boko Haram, have shared similar UGC, showing similar disregard for COVID-19 safety and physical distancing measures.
Haruna Mohammed Salisu, a resident of Borno state and publisher of the Wikki Times (a Nigerian digital media platform), described the situation in the North-East as “a double pandemic”.
Salisu stated that, due to security concerns, aid workers and government officials were unable to access some communities in Boko Haram controlled areas. This has left these individuals without adequate access to either COVID-19 inoculation or treatment, or authoritative sources of information on the pandemic and the risks associated with the disease.
For these people, the ‘double pandemic’ refers to the insurgency and both the threat of COVID-19 and the continued permeation of mis/disinformation throughout their information sources.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), as of 08-Sep-2021, Borno state had recorded 1,344 ‘lab-confirmed’ cases of COVID-19 (from a state population of at least 5.8 million, as of 2016). This figure most likely misrepresents the actual number of cases, and deaths caused by, COVID-19. The ‘double pandemic’ almost certainly contributes to this misrepresentation.
In his June 2021 response to being censored by Twitter for breaching the platform’s Hateful Conduct policy, President Muhammadu Buhari effectively censored the Nigerian public. Although not done for the purposes of minimising extremist dialogue online, it did lose Boko Haram its domestic Twitter audience.
This isn’t to suggest the content stopped flowing – instead, it continues to be shared through less overt and less accessible means. WhatsApp, Telegram and other closed-access messaging services allow content to be shared on a large scale to both individual users and groups. And for Boko Haram and its associated splinter-groups, they are well prepared for content take-downs, with research from 2020 showing at times up to fifty active WhatsApp groups in operation for content dissemination.
ISWAP distributing flyers: Photo: HumAngle media.
More traditional methods are still under employ also, with researcher interviews amongst Boko Haram members showing that peer-to-peer sharing, such as through Bluetooth, is still being used to disseminate extremist content and disinformation, alongside more traditional (and physical measures), including preaching and flyer distribution.
Although content moderation is too contested a topic for discussion in this short article, one of its effects in the Nigerian context – combined with access restrictions to Boko-Haram controlled areas – is that messaging is still being received by the public; but is less likely to be identified and dispelled by authoritative bodies who maintain public trust.
The activities of extremist groups in the information sphere both directly and indirectly undermine public health responses in combating COVID-19 and have far-reaching negative effects if left unchecked.
This post forms part of a larger investigation into the COVID-19 disinformation and extremism nexus in and around Nigeria. This publication was produced as part of IWPR’s Africa Resilience Network (ARN) programme, administered in partnership with the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), and Africa Uncensored.
Edit: P8 ‘User Generated Content’ was changed to UGC | ‘a’ was removed from P19.
