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.
A total of about 5.3 million X accounts were suspended in the first half of 2024 for violating its rules, the social media platform said in its latest Global Transparency Report.
Formerly known as Twitter, X’s Global Transparency Report outlines enforcement actions taken to maintain a safer environment on the social media platform. According to its latest report, the enforcement data covers a wide range of violations, including harassment, hateful conduct, child safety, platform manipulation, and violent content.
According to the report, between January and June 2024, X processed 224.1 million user reports across several categories. Of these, 81.7 million were for abuse and harassment, making it the largest category, accounting for 36.47% of all reports.
In response, X suspended 1.1 million accounts for abusive behaviour and harassment. Meanwhile, hateful conduct, another major area of concern, saw 66.9 million reports, leading to 2,361 account suspensions and the removal or labelling of 4.95 million posts.
Child safety remains a critical focus for X. The platform’s report shows that 2.78 million accounts were suspended for sharing or engaging with content related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
In addition, 14,571 posts were removed or labelled in connection with child safety violations. X emphasized its zero-tolerance policy towards any form of child exploitation, stressing its partnerships with organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to handle such cases.
Platform manipulation and spam constituted another area where X took drastic action. The company took an overwhelming 463.9 million actions on suspended accounts for engaging in deceptive activities such as using bots or creating fake accounts to manipulate conversations. X’s report indicated that its defenses against platform manipulation are primarily automated, allowing it to remove accounts at scale. Furthermore, 187.6 million actions were taken on posts with user informed labels for spam-related activities.
Violent content also posed a significant challenge for the platform, with 104,921 X accounts suspended for engaging with or promoting violent activities. Additionally, about 2.24 million posts were removed or labelled for violating the platform’s rules on violent content, which include prohibitions on terrorist organizations and violent extremism.
The report also highlights how X handled private content violations, with 9.9 million reports filed by users in this category. The company responded by suspending 1,719 accounts and removing or labelling 34,497 posts that breached privacy rules.
In terms of government involvement, X disclosed that it received 18,737 requests for user account information from various governments. Of these, 52.82% of the requests were granted. The United States accounted for the majority of these requests, followed by Japan and the European Union. The company also handled 72,703 removal requests from governments globally, with a compliance rate of 70.82%.
X’s approach to content moderation combines both machine learning and human oversight, ensuring that reports are handled promptly and that harmful content is either removed or its reach is limited. The platform employs its “Freedom of Speech, not Freedom of Reach” philosophy, meaning that while users may express their views, X may limit the visibility of posts that violate its policies.
In addition to its self-proclaimed proactive content moderation efforts, X also allows users to appeal enforcement decisions if they believe their content was wrongly flagged. This process is part of the platform’s broader strategy to maintain a balanced approach to freedom of expression while ensuring the safety of its users.
IN an early morning nationwide broadcast on Monday, October 1, 2024, the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, shared updates on the nation’s progress, economic outlook, and security measures as Nigeria celebrated its 64th anniversary.
Nigeria commemorates its Independence Day annually on October 1st, celebrating its liberation from the British colonial rule in 1960. This day marks the country’s emergence as a sovereign state and symbolises its journey toward self-governance, unity, and national progress. Historically, it serves as a platform for governments to emphasise unity, showcase achievements, and outline plans for the future.
In this report, we fact-checked some of the claims made by President Tinubu using verifiable data and official sources. Our report seeks to separate accurate information from possible exaggerations or misrepresentations, offering a clearer view of the nation’s current situation.
CLAIM 1
Tinubu says “After Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri, I also visited to assure our people that this federal government will always stand with our people in their times of trouble.”
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
On September 10, 2024, about 40 per cent of Maiduguri, Borno State’s capital, in northeastern Nigeria, was flooded due to a breach of the nearby Alau Dam. which resulted in the death of at least 37 people while 58 persons were injured.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had gone to visit the flood victims when it happened while Tinubu was away at China and the UK.
However, on September 16 and 17, media outlets reported that Tinubu had gone to visit the victims to sympathise with them while assuring them of the federal government’s support.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Tinubu had gone to visit the Maiduguri flood victims after he visited China is TRUE.
CLAIM 2
Tinubu says “At the last meeting of the Federal Executive Council, we approved a Disaster Relief Fund to mobilise private and public sector funds to help us respond faster to emergencies.”
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
The last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting took place on September 23, 2024 which was on a Monday and some of the major highlights that were discussed during the meeting was the setting up of relief funds.
Premium Times reported that the FEC meeting discussed the recent flooding in various regions of the country, particularly the one that devastated nearly half of Maiduguri in Borno State. It also expressed support for the President’s proposal to establish a Disaster Relief Fund, which would be financed through a portion of the revenue from the federation account, along with contributions from the private sector.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the disaster relief fund was approved during the last FEC meeting is TRUE.
CLAIM 3
“Our government has also ordered integrity tests of all our dams in the country to avert future disasters,” says Tinubu.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE!
The decision was made also during the last FEC meeting after President Tinubu had announced the disaster relief fund for flood victims, a committee was constituted after the meeting to reassess the Alau Dam and other dams across the country to prevent re-occurrence.
The FEC, headed by President Tinubu, mandated the Committee to develop detailed designs and recommendations for the overall reconstruction of the Alau Dam for future use.
Speaking to journalists after the FEC meeting, Minister of Water Resources, Professor Joseph Utsev, disclosed that the Council extensively deliberated on the flood situation across the country with emphasis on Maiduguri flooding.
Members of the constituted committee on the review of Alau Dam and others include the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari and few others.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the federal government has ordered integrity tests for all the dams is TRUE.
CLAIM 4
Tinubu says that Nigeria attracted foreign direct investments worth more than $30 billion in the last year.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Nigeria received a total of $59.77 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the third quarter of 2023 when Tinubu became Nigeria’s president, according to official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In the fourth quarter of 2023, FDI amounted to $183.97 million, while the first quarter of 2024 saw $119.18 million in earnings. Altogether, Nigeria attracted $362.92 million in foreign direct investment over the nine-month period between July 2023 and March 2024. This is lower than the amount mentioned by Tinubu.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria attracted foreign direct investments worth more than $30 billion in 2023 is FALSE, according to NBS data.
CLAIM 5
Nigeria inherited a reserve of over $33 billion 16 months ago, says Tinubu.
THE FINDINGS
When he left office in May 2023, Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari handed over $35 billion of Nigeria’s foreign reserve to the Tinubu’s administration.
Whilst Tinubu’s government has relied more on crude oil exports to boost external reserves, the Buhari administration relied on external loans. Reserves act as a buffer against external shocks and provide confidence to investors.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the Tinubu’s administration inherited $33 billion is MOSTLY FALSE, because the foreign reserves he inherited is higher than the amount mentioned.
CLAIM 6
Since then, we have paid back the inherited forex backlog of $7 billion.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
Nigeria has faced significant economic challenges in recent years, including issues related to foreign exchange (FX) obligations and debt service ratios. The country’s dependency on oil revenues and fluctuating global oil prices have exacerbated these challenges, leading to substantial FX backlogs and mounting debt.
On February 5, 2024, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, said he inherited a $7 billion foreign exchange (FX) backlog when he became the head of the apex bank in September 2023. However, it later dropped to $2.2 billion. By March 2024, the CBN said it had concluded the payment of $1.5 billion and successfully settled all outstanding forex obligations.
The acting director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, Hakama Sidi Ali, disclosed that independent auditors from Deloitte Consulting meticulously assessed these transactions, ensuring that only legitimate claims were honoured.
She said any invalid transactions were promptly referred to the relevant authorities for further scrutiny.
“Clearance of the foreign exchange transactions backlog is part of the overall strategy detailed in last month’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting to stabilise the exchange rate and thereby curb imported inflation, spurring confidence in the banking system and the economy,” Ali said.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Tinubu that Nigeria has cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $7 billion is TRUE, media reports citing CBN noted.
CLAIM 7
Tinubu says Nigeria has cleared the ways and means debt of over N30 trillion.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
Ways and means is a loan facility through which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provides short-term financing to cover the federal government’s budget shortfalls.
Borrowing via ways and means must be temporary and should only occur “in respect of temporary deficiency of budget revenue,” according to Section 38 (1) of the CBN Act. This means that the CBN can only lend to the Federal Government when the latter has a temporary revenue shortfall.
On May 3, 2023, the Nigerian Senate approved the securitisation of the N22.7 trillion loan request made by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In December 2023, the National Assembly approved President Tinubu’s request for the securitisation of outstanding N7.3 trillion ways and means debt balance. This makes the country’s public debt partly increased to N121.67 trillion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO).
In May 2023, the Debt Management Office (DMO) gazetted what the securitisation would mean for the Federal Government. The key terms include a 40-year tenor, a three-year moratorium on principal repayments, and an interest rate of 9% per annum, with repayment of the principal amortized over 37 years. The purpose of this securitization is not to raise new funds from the public, but to formalize the CBN’s previous advances to the government.
A screenshot showing the DMO’s gazette of the debt.
This process is expected to improve debt transparency, as the securitized advances will now be part of Nigeria’s public debt statistics. Moreover, the new 9% interest rate is significantly lower than the current Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) of 18% plus 3%, which effectively reduces the cost of servicing this debt and helps lower the national budget deficit.
Repayments on the securitized debt will include interest payments starting in 2023, with principal repayments beginning in the fourth year. These payments will be accounted for in the federal budget each year. It is important to note that this securitization does not involve the provision of new funds to the government since the funds were already disbursed by the CBN.
The securitization plan requires approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives before it can be implemented. This process aims to provide financial relief by cutting interest expenses, which could reduce the need for new borrowing in the future.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Tinubu that Nigeria has cleared the ways and means debt of over N30 trillion is MISLEADING, as official document shows it is expected to be repaid over a period of 40 years.
CLAIM 8
Nigeria has reduced the debt service ratio from 97 per cent to 68 per cent, says Tinubu.
THE FINDINGS
During a press conference in July 2024, Nigeria’s minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said that Nigeria’s debt service to revenue ratio has declined from 97 per cent in 2023 to 68 per cent in 2024, indicating a reduction in the government’s debt burden.
The minister said the country’s revenue is now being managed to promote transparency, accountability, and visibility of government spending.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Tinubu that Nigeria has reduced the debt service ratio from 97 per cent to 68 per cent is TRUE, according to media reports.
CLAIM 9
Tinubu says Nigeria has managed to keep its foreign reserve at $37 billion.
THE FINDINGS
Reserves are all those foreign assets of a country held by the monetary authorities which can be mobilized at period of external imbalances with else and certainty. External reserves are held in the form of “earning assets” notably government’s foreign security or in the form of “non-earning” liquid assets like gold bars in the vault of Central Banks.
In Nigeria, the composition of the external reserve consists of gold, IMF reserve tranche, Special Drawing Rights (SDRS) and convertible currencies. The major sources of external reserves are derivable from the components of foreign exchange inflows which include: receipt from petroleum, service income, other invisible items, capital importation, interest payments on foreign securities, external borrowing/foreign aids and grants, and non-oil export proceeds among others.
According to data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s gross external reserves stood at $38.058billion as of September 27, 2024.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Tinubu that Nigeria’s foreign reserve is $37 billion is MOSTLY TRUE, as the figure is higher by over $1billion, according to CBN data.
AS technology evolves globally, fact-checkers and journalists are confronted with the rising challenge posed by tools which purveyors of disinformation use in creating fake videos, images, and audio that depict individuals saying or doing things they never said or did.
These tools are being used to spread disinformation and commit fraud through the impersonation of public figures or individuals in positions of trust. They have become a powerful tool for malicious actors, making it easier to deceive large audiences and harder for victims to discern the truth convincingly.
Although until recently, the most widespread audio-visual disinformation content are in video format, audio deepfake has become a significant disinformation threat, especially during elections.
For instance, during Nigeria’s 2023 general election, there were audio deepfakes spread to sway public opinion. For instance, a few hours before voting started during the presidential election, a manipulated audio of Nigeria’s former vice president and PDP candidate in the poll, Atiku Abubakar, purportedly discussing plans to rig the election surfaced online.
Similarly, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the election, Peter Obi, was in the eye of the storm, after the February 25 presidential election. Anaudio recording of a telephone conversation that was purportedly made between Obi and the presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo in which Obi was heard canvassing for votes and allegedly used the phrase ‘Religious War. The “yes daddy” audio leak is a 4 minutes, 17 seconds audio clip which had gone viral. But Obi denied the recording, describing it as fake.
In this tutorial, our fact-checker look at some tools that can help anyone detect audio that are synthetic or created using artificial intelligence.
This AI app detects audio deepfake by identifying artefacts and anomalies that arise while synthesizing any audio. The web application allows users to submit audio files for analysis, including videos and images too.
The app analyzes the file and informs the user when the process is finished via the dashboard and an email alert. Reality Defender’s deepfake detection platform is primarily used by enterprises, platforms, and governments. However, they also offer a way to detect audio deepfakes.
This AI voice detector stands out as one of the top choices for detecting AI-generated voices. This advanced tool leverages cutting-edge machine learning algorithms to accurately differentiate between real and synthetic voices.
PlayHT offers an easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for both professionals and casual users. The tool analyzes various audio features and provides detailed reports on the likelihood of the voice being synthetic or real. It also offers its audio detection service freely for users.
This tool offers a robust voice detection tool designed to identify synthetic voices. It enables robust deepfake detection by combining efficient architecture with unparalleled accuracy across diverse languages and generation methods.
Resemble AI Detector is particularly useful for businesses looking to protect their brand and prevent voice cloning scams. Its intuitive interface and detailed analysis reports make it a go-to solution for voice verification needs.
Loccus.ai is a startup building deep-learning solutions to add layers of trust and safety to voice communication. Their product aims to solve the misuse of AI-generated voices aimed at committing fraud, spam and misinformation.
The tool is now added to Hiya’s Adaptive AI fraud prevention system with AI voice detection to provide businesses and carriers with a complete fraud call protection suite. The versatile solution supports multiple languages, formats and platforms, including video recordings and live calls across all devices.
Deepware Scanner is an open-source tool designed for detecting deepfake audio-visual content. It uses a combination of machine learning algorithms and spectral analysis to identify synthetic voices and can be used for various applications, from social media content verification to security and forensic analysis. Though it works mostly for videos, it can be used to detect fake audio too.
Its open-source nature allows for customization and continuous improvement by its users’ community.
At this juncture, it is important to note that these tools are not infallible. While they can estimate the likelihood of a file being AI-generated or synthetically created, they are not correct always. That is why they need to be used along with other methods of verification.
A pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, has posted a video alongside claim that some men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) generally assault their female colleagues.
The post published on X platform on September 26, 2024 read:
This is what the Nigeria terrorist @PoliceNG are doing to their female colleagues. After overdose of drugs they will rape and kill anyone available.
In the over one-minute video attached to the post, a female officer was lamenting the way she was maltreated by a male superior.
Part of the footage’s audio transcribed read thus:
…What is my offence, he now started beating me, to the extent that he naked me he put me into naked look at all my chest, my hand everywhere injured… It is Ajayi Matthew because he asked me to friend him, I said no I am a married woman, I cannot befriend you. he started blackmailing me saying he is the one befriending me, which is not true. My right hand was there. Two Constables and 10 civilians; after doing that, he went inside and carried a dane gun and said he wanted to gun me down. The civilians had to take me out of the office and said I should run away but I said no. If he wants to kill me, he should kill me. Help me. Assist me. Ajayi wants to kill me. Ode-Omu Division.
The video post has garnered over 140,000 views, more than 2,400 reposts and over 3,100 likes as of September 29, 2024.
CLAIM
Video shows a female police officer allegedly assaulted by her superior recently.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING, as the video is not recent.
Screenshot of the claim retrieved from X. INSERT: Misleading verdict.
A keyframe analysis conducted on the video shows earlier versions of the video published on Facebook and X.
The footage was from an incident in 2022 when a female Nigerian police officer, Bamidele Olorunsogo, claimed that she was tortured by her superior, Ajayi Matthew, the Divisional Crime Officer of Ode-Omu Police Division, in Osun state after she refused his romantic advances toward her.
The video was published by multiple media platforms including The Punch and Sahara reporters in November 2022.
The Punch and The Cable reported that the IGP had ordered a probe on the matter and waiting for the report of the investigation from the Osun State Police Command before necessary actions would be taken then.
However, few days after the then IGP Usman Baba had ordered an investigation into the issue, The Punch reported that the Osun State Police command kept mum over the issue.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows a female police officer allegedly assaulted by her superior recently is MISLEADING; the incident took place in 2022.
On September 11, 2024, an X account, @AfricanHub_ , created for promotion of African heritage, posted a video showing an excavator digging a trench with a claim that says crude oil has been discovered in Burkina Faso.
The X user posted the video with a caption that read:
“Oil has been discovered in Burkina Faso. Your comments on this.”
The post has been circulated widely on the X platform. As of September 29, it has garnered over 900,000 views, more than 2,000 reposts, plus 7,000 likes and over 1,400 comments.
CLAIM
Video shows crude oil discovered in Burkina Faso recently.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by TheFactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING as the video depicts wastewater pipe under repair in the state of Minnesota, United States.
When our researcher subjected the keyframes of the video to a Google Reverse Image search, the results showed an earlier version of the video posted by McClure Plumbing and Heating Inc. on its Facebook page in December 2023.
The caption on the post read:
“We wish that was oil! We replaced this sewer this past week that was packed full of tree roots and had 4 patches in the 6’ clay pipping. It went well and we were all backfilled by about 12:30 p.m!”
McClure Plumbing and Heating Inc. is a Minnesota-based company in the United States of America (USA) that offers services such as faucet installation or complete sewer line replacement.
However, TheFactCheckHub would later find out that several media organisations had earlier debunked the viral video.
AFP fact-check had first debunked the claim on January 18, 2024 by contacting McClure Plumbing and Heating Inc. on January 15.
“The company confirmed that it is not oil but a wastewater pipe repaired near its premises based in Luverne in the state of Minnesota,” AFP reports.
In addition, the International Trade Administration, reported that Burkina Faso does not have its own oil production. According to the report, fuel is imported to run many types of machinery, from transportation engines to power generation plants in the West African country.
THE VERDICT
The claim that crude oil was discovered in Burkina Faso is MISLEADING; the video depicts repair of wastewater pipe in Minnesota, USA.
The claim was posted as a quoted tweet to a post made by another X user @chiditweets following the WAEC result of Edo state governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, which went viral recently.
The image, likely a black and white paper, has details of each subject result released by the examination body.
In the space for name, Peter Gregory Obi was filled under the space provided and thus, it looked different from the rest of the document.
The image has multiple rows with three columns, as the content of the first row shows numbering of each subject, while the second had subjects and the third shows grades on it, similar to what you find in an examination result.
The image was also accompanied with a caption that read: Talk no more…
The image has garnered some traction online since it was shared on September 23, 2024.
CLAIM
Image shows Peter Obi’s WAEC result.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
Screenshot of the claim retrieved from X; INSERT Misleading verdict.
A Google Lens check on the image led our fact-checker to earlier versions of the image similar to the one posted by the claimant on X.
A close observation of the similar images shows that the name appearing on the document was Sowore Stephen Omoyele, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
Further findings showed that the images were from news reports in 2022 when the former presidential candidate had shared pictures of his WAEC results on his Facebook handle as part of the documents he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2023 election.
Following the release of the documents, it had gone viral then. A the time, Sowore explained his low performance on the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) stating that he took a “second stab at WASSCE at a different high school before securing enough credits to gain admission into UNILAG”, YabaLeft Online reported.
A copy of Sowore’s WAEC result.
The report read:
“Yesterday I uploaded my education credentials meant to be submitted to INEC Nigeria today as nominations close for Presidential candidates running in the 2023 Presidential Election. Many have asked why I performed so woefully in my first attempt at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASCE), well, it was how it ended after that first attempt. I did state that I took a second stab at WASCE at a different high school before securing enough credits to gain admission into the university. I just couldn’t give up until I made it and got admitted into UNILAG in 1989 to study Geography and Planning. In fact, my late dad demoted me by asking that I go back to “Class 4″ after that woeful result I posted yesterday. After securing admission into UNILAG I had to combine the two results to get matriculated. I appreciate the engagement provoked by sharing my not-too-good WASCE/GCE result yesterday. Thanks!”
It was also supported by a screenshot of the Facebook post made by Sowore himself. However, our fact-checker could not find the Facebook post mentioned as it may have been deleted by the poster.
Further checks revealed Obi’s actual WAEC results, which were also shared by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate during the 2023 general elections.
Peter Obi’s WAEC result.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows Peter Obi’s WAEC result is MISLEADING; the image is actually that of Omoyele Sowore’s WAEC result which was doctored with Obi’s name.
A video showing a news broadcast about the raid of a fake drug factory has surfaced online with a claim that it shows a Nigerian man, Emeka Madu, arrested recently by the police for manufacturing fake drugs in Nigeria.
An X user, @NoNonsensezone postedthe video alongside a caption thus:
“FAKE DRUGS: An Igbo man Emeka Madu arrested for making Fake Malaria Drugs in an uncompleted building in Ikotun Lagos
Emeka and 4 other Igbo men were arrested at the site where they were manufacturing fake drugs to sell to Nigerians. killing Thousands of Nigerians.”
The video has generated over 260,000 views, more than 1,000 reposts and over 1,900 likes as of September 26, 2024.
Similarly, another X user, @Onsogbu posted the same claim with a caption that read:
“Emeka Madu arrested for making Fake Malaria Drugs in an uncompleted building in Ikotun Lagos state.
Emeka and his cohorts were arrested at the site where they were manufacturing fake drugs to sell to Nigerians k!lling thousands of Nigerians.”
The post has garnered more than 800,000 views, over 600 reposts and more than 900 likes as of September 26.
CLAIM
Video shows a Nigerian man arrested recently for alleged manufacturing of fake drugs.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING, as the video had surfaced online over 5 years ago.
Our researcher subjected keyframes in the video to a Google reverse image search and the result shows that Channels TV posted the videoon December 15, 2018.
Screenshot of the viral video posted on X. INSERT: Misleading verdict.
It depicts the uncovering of an illegal drug factory by officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) where four counterfeit suspected fake drug manufacturers were found at Ikotun area of Lagos State in Nigeria.
The security operatives stormed and raided the factory where substantial production, packaging and distribution of suspected fake drugs to different parts of the country was being carried out.
Those arrested were Emeka Madu aka Cabara 47yrs, the owner and leader of the gang operating the suspected fake drug Factory; Eze Young, 26yrs; Chijoke Umunna, 19yrs and Kingsley Obilo 22yrs.
The police said they were caught and arrested in the act of producing the suspected fake drug with the use of machines fabricated for processing, manufacturing and packaging of the suspected fake drugs.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows recent arrest of a Nigerian man for manufacturing fake drugs is MISLEADING; the video has been online since 2018.
Critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s information systems have been charged to come together to curb the surge of disinformation in the country.
Dr. Mark Duerksen, the Strategic Communications Manager of Africa Center for Strategic Studies(ACSS) gave the charge at the Catalyzing African Defender Communities (CADC) workshop, which kicked off on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 in Lagos.
He said the training becomes important owing to the growing impact of disinformation campaigns on the African continent’s rapidly changing information systems.
The 4-day workshop aims at developing Nigerian counter-disinformation Defender Communities by building trust and training researchers, journalists, and practitioners with the skills required to identify, expose, and combat disinformation campaigns.
Working with Debunk, one of the leading organizations countering Russian disinformation campaigns since 2014, the workshop offers hands-on and collaborative training to develop skills, to expose, analyze and respond to disinformation networks targeting the African continent.
It will also include an overview of FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) and ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Centers) approaches to understand and counter disinformation; an orientation to the Fence and DISARM frameworks (open-source, master framework for fighting disinformation); and hands-on training in applying these frameworks through open source ‘OpenCTI’ research tools and analytic report writing.
“We are seeing examples of how fake news is being used to overwhelm fact-checkers. They’re flooded with so many false claims that it becomes nearly impossible to keep up. This tactic is deliberate, aimed at disorienting fact-checkers and the public. These disinformation campaigns don’t just affect online spaces but have real-world consequences.
“One of the more concerning patterns is how disinformation is linked to decreasing voter turnout. As voters become disillusioned, feeling like their votes don’t matter, it impacts democracy. In Nigeria, we’ve seen protests hijacked by bad actors who redirect public anger towards destructive ends. Similarly, misinformation has fueled farmer-herder conflicts, inciting violence by turning them into ethnic clashes,” Dr. Duerksen said.
He emphasized the need for fact-checkers, journalists, analysts and researchers to be equipped with open source intelligence tools and skills to track these campaigns and understand how they work and impact the society at large.
As the collation is ongoing in Benin city, Edo State capital, our team of journalists, researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, and OSINT experts drawn from the coalition partners, are monitoring social media platforms, TVs and blogs from our Lagos and Abuja Election Situation Rooms to debunk election-related misinformation and disinformation content targeted at inciting violence or influencing the outcome of election.
Do you have an election-related claim you want us to fact-check?
This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward or refresh this page to latest checks.
Here are the quick-checks:
Claim 1
CLAIM: An X user, @unlimitedeniola, posted that INEC has moved the declaration of results for the Edo elections to another location while allowing only APC agents access to the location.
THE FINDINGS: Collation has not begun as at the time of this post by 10:02AM. Daily Trust has reported that collation is yet to begin at the state head office of INEC in Benin, Edo State as at 10:44 am on Sunday despite promises by Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, who said that the collation would kick off by 10am. Similarly, Premium Times reported that INEC moved the commencement of the election collation to 11 am, and not location.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Daily Trust, Premium Times.
Claim 2
CLAIM: An X user, @hon_sadiq claimed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held a press conference and announced Edo election results.
THE FINDINGS: Checks by the NFC show that the PDP leadership addressed the press in the early hours of Sunday, Sept 22 in Benin city, Edo state. During the press conference, the governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri reeled out results reportedly collated by the agents of the party in some Local Government Areas of the state. However, he later clarified that he did not announce results but only informed the public of the exact figures from the party’s agents.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: PulseNG, The Cable
Claim 3
CLAIM: An X user, @emmaikumeh, claimed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won 4 out 5 Local Government Areas in Edo Central which include Esan South-East, Igueben, Esan North East, Esan West and Esan Central LGAs.
THE FINDINGS: Checks by NFC showed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won Esan South East, Esan North East and Igueben LGAs in Edo Central Senatorial District of the state. However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won both the Esan Central and Esan West LGAs of the state.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Daily Trust, Channels TV
Claim 4
CLAIM: An X user, @linhsense1, claimed that the APC is leading with 212,442 votes after the collation of governorship election results from 15 out of 18 LGAs in Edo state. The tweet was made at 2:13 pm, a few minutes before the 16th LGA’s result was announced.
THE FINDINGS: Before the 16th LGA was announced, the total sum of results from 15 out of 18 LGAs stood at:
CLAIM: An X user @TaofeekBabalol4 Posted an image of collated results from 16 LGA’s from PDP, APC and LP while claiming that APC leads with 244,549 votes, PDP with 187,880 votes and LP with 21,420 votes. Also stating that the difference between Apc and PDP’s vote is 56,669.
THE FINDINGS: Media reports by The ICIR, The Punch and The Cable Index show that APC leads with 244,549 votes while PDP and LP follow behind with 195,954 and 13,348 respectively.
The difference between APC and PDP votes is 48,595.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: ICIR, The Cable and The Punch
Claim 6
CLAIM: A TikTok user, “@Pokotvnaija”, on September 21, 2024, posted a video with an image purported to show the collated results for People’s Democratic result (PDP) in some Local Government Areas in Edo State. These include: Esan North East with 13,579 votes, Esan Central, with 10,794 votes, Igueben, with 7,870 votes, Uhunmwonde with 16,741 votes, and Egor with 27,621 votes, among others.
THE FINDINGS: News reports by Punch Newspaper and The ICIR show that the results released by INEC for the PDP are as follows: Esan North East, 12,522 votes; Esan Central, 8,618 votes; Igueben, 8,470 votes; Uhunmwonde, 9,339 votes; and Egor, 14,658 votes. This clearly shows that the TikTok user had inflated the results for PDP.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Punch Newspaper and The ICIR.
Claim 7
CLAIM: Some social media users have published a video wherein some market women were seen protesting against Godwin Obaseki, current governor of Edo State. In the video, the market women could be heard singing a song insulting Obaseki. The video was published with the impression that the protest took place on Sunday, Sept 22 amid the ongoing announcement of the 2024 Edo governorship election results by INEC.
THE FINDINGS: Checks by NFC revealed that the video is not recent and has been online since February 2023. Although NFC couldn’t ascertain the accurate context of the video, it was posted on YouTube by @EdoChannelTV on February 15, 2023.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: OSINT, Google, and YouTube.
Claim 8
CLAIM: An X user, @TENIBEGILOJU202, shared a claim attributed to Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North.
The claim reads: “BREAKING!!! FOR DEMOCRACY TO THRIVE, PDP AND LP MUST ACCEPT THE PAIN OF RIGGING… OSHIOMOLE. At this point, we must do everything possible to ensure that the APC leaves the building or else we are doomed forever”.
The X user also included a video from Channels TV of Oshiomhole speaking at a press conference.
THE FINDINGS: The video from Channels TV is captioned: “Osun governorship election”. The election took place in September 2018. So it has nothing to do with the Edo State governorship election. We also found out that the video was originally posted online on 28 September 2018. Then it was captioned: “Osun governorship election: Oshiomhole denies allegation of rigging by APC”.
Oshimhole was reacting to allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the governorship election in Osun was rigged. He said that on the part of the PDP if they win an election, it will mean that the election was free and fair. But if they lose… It means the election was rigged.
At no point in the video did Oshimhole say the following: “At this juncture, we must do everything possible to ensure that APC exit the building or else we are doomed forever.”
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCE: Channels TV.
Claim 9
READ NIGERIA’S 2023 GENERAL ELECTION LIVE-CHECKS BELOW:
*This fact-check report was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Salako Emmanuel, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Cole Praise, Lateef Sanni, Lademi Aborisade, Philip Anjorin, Silas Jonathan, Sunday Awosoro, Mohammed Taoheed, Amarachi Onwuzulike, Asiat Jimoh (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Adelola Semilore, Denzel Amobi, Muktar Balogun (Africa Check); Caleb Ijioma, Precious Ewuji, Agbelusi Samuel (RoundCheck); Orji Ruth (NatureFacts); Ayodele Oluwafemi, Claire Mom (The Cable); Faruk Shuaibu (Daily Trust); Kamal Idress (WikkiTimes); Hannah Ajakaiye, Olayinka Oladokun, Efemena Ighofose (FactsMatterNG); Pascal Ibe and Blessing Otoibhi (ICIR); and Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab).
It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Lois Ugbede (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat (CCIJ), and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub) and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).
As the electorates in Edo State go to the poll today, the coalition brings you fact-checks from its Lagos and Abuja Election Situation Rooms as we monitor information disorder trends on the 2024 Edo governorship election.
Our team of journalists, researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, and OSINT experts drawn from the coalition partners, are working tirelessly to debunk election-related misinformation and disinformation content targeted at causing voter apathy, inciting violence or influencing the outcome of election in Edo State.
Do you have an election-related claim you want us to fact-check?
This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward or refresh this page to latest checks.
Here are the quick-checks:
Claim 1
CLAIM: An X user, @justsociety4all posted an APC membership card allegedly belonging to the INEC’s supervising national commissioner for Edo, Rhoda Gumus. The post claims she’s a member of the party.
THE FINDINGS: Checks by NFC show that the registration form has been online since 2022 during the build up to the 2023 general election. According to The ICIR, the membership card was part of the materials in the petition submitted to the Senate by Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) opposing Gumus’ confirmation as an INEC national commissioner. The report confirmed that Gumus was indeed a member of the APC in Bayelsa State with Registration Form No: BAY/YEN/08/58315.
The card was part of the evidence submitted by the HRWAN in the petition that was submitted.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: The ICIR
Claim 2
CLAIM: An X user, @CrownPrinceCom2, claimed that the governor of Edo state, Godswin Obaseki said the Edo election is a “do or die affair.”
THE FINDINGS: According to The Cable, Obaseki referred to the Edo election a “do or die affairs” while speaking at the grand finale rally of the People’s Democratic Party on September 13 in the Ekenwan area of Benin City, the state capital. In a follow-up interview with Channels TV, the governor reiterated the statement and expressed no regret for making it.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Channels TV, The Cable.
Claim 3
CLAIM: An X user, @ChuksEricE said Edo residents protest over the presence of Kogi state governor, Usman Ododo, in Edo state.
THE FINDINGS: Result from a simple keyword Google search, “Protest in Akoko“, showed that the Independent Television Radio ( ITV) reported that members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Akoko Edo chapter protested on Friday to express their grievances over the alleged presence of Kogi State Governor, Usman Ahmed Ododo in Igarra, head quarters of Akoko Edo Local Government Area ahead of today’s governorship election.
According to the news report, the protesters who marched from the Edo PDP secretariat to Akoko police area command, asked the police to fish out the thugs allegedly mobilized by the Kogi governor.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: Independent Television Radio (ITV).
Claim 4
CLAIM: An X user @kunmydrey claimed Edo PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo stepped down for Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata.
THE FINDINGS: A press statement by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday night stated that Asue Ighodalo Is very much in the race.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) official X account.
Claim 5
CLAIM: Multiple social media users claimed that INEC officials were missing from Ighodalo’s polling unit
THE FINDINGS: This tweet was sent at 10:34 am and according to Business Day, INEC officials were yet to arrive at Ighodalo’s polling unit – Ward 1, Unit 3, Ewohinmi.
But at 11:28am, Vanguard reported that INEC had finally arrived at the Ighodalo’s polling unit.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Vanguard, Business Day
Claim 6
CLAIM: An X user @IwadiDevelopmen, shared a WhatsApp message stating that the court has disqualified the APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo, in the 2024 Edo election.
THE FINDINGS:The Cable reports that a magistrate in the Federal Capital Territory, Abubakar Mukhtar, has denied any order disqualifying the APC candidate. The news outlet quoted the magistrate’s reaction to it as “false and misleading.” Platform Times also reported a similar development where the magistrate refuted the claim. According to the news outlet, the APC candidate had been invited by the court over the discrepancies of his birth certificate, but the court has not passed judgement yet. The APC’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, also confirmed that no court disqualified Mr Okpebholo from the election..
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: The Cable, Platform Times, APC’s spokesperson
Claim 7
CLAIM: An X user, @drkenon posted two videos with different claims. He claimed in the first video that the police officers seen in the clip were officers deployed to Edo election, while in the second video, he claimed that the video shows some Nigeria Police Force officers destroying ballot boxes in the 2023 presidential election.
THE FINDINGS: Checks by NFC revealed that the first video shows police officers in Edo state ahead of today’s governorship election, while demonstrating their readiness for the poll, according to the Punch Newspaper’s X account. Further findings revealed that the second video was from polling unit 009, Lugbe Primary School, Abuja in the 2023 Nigeria presidential election. According to News Central TV, there was an alleged mass thumbprinting by INEC ad-hoc staff causing pandemonium in the polling unit and not destroying ballot boxes.
VERDICT: PARTIALLY CORRECT
SOURCES: News Central TV, Punch
Claim 8
CLAIM: An X user, OlanipekunTobiD claimed that the Electoral Act does not recognize the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
THE FINDINGS: A keyword search on the internet led us to a judgement by the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which said the Electoral Act 2022 made no provision for electronic transmission of election results. The court held that the only mandatory technological device for INEC is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). We also spoke to Amina Miango, a lawyer and project manager, of the Law, Democracy and Journalism project at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) who explained that IReV is not recognised under the Act but noted IReV is just a viewing platform, not a transmission platform. She added that section 50(2) of the Act allows INEC to transmit results as it deems fit and so far, INEC continues to transmit results manually from one level of collation to the other.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Channels TV, Punch
Claim 9
CLAIM: An X user, @Bigwhaledd, posted a video, claiming it shows the chaos that ensued in a polling unit after some APC thugs were caught trying to steal during the election.
THE FINDINGS: The NFC used related keywords to search Google and found that a Facebook user posted the same video alongside an unverified claim that it shows apprehended APC thugs who were accompanying INEC staff to Oredo LGA. In another post on Facebook and on the same date, a Facebook account claims it shows APC thugs arrested by the police and the army. Although the post does not clarify what the thugs were trying to steal, NFC found that the video had been on the internet before the commencement of the Edo state election on September 21. Therefore, the video is not related to the ongoing Edo election.
VERDICT: MISLEADING.
SOURCES: OSINT, Google
Claim 10
CLAIM: An X user, @awkaboy001, posted pictures allegedly showing APC rented thugs who are disrupting the elections in Benin, Edo State.
THE FINDINGS: Analysing the three images with Google Lens shows they had been used during the 2019 general elections. The images have also been used by reputable media outlets including the ICIR, Premium Times, The Cable, Daily Post, and Daily Trust before the 2024 Edo election.
VERDICT: MISLEADING.
SOURCES: Google Lens, ICIR, Premium Times, The Cable, BBC.
Claim 11
CLAIM: An X user claimed thugs disrupted the election process in Ward 3, Unit 33, Egor Local government area of Edo state.
THE FINDINGS: There have been reports of thugs’ invasion and disruption in some polling units in Egor LGA as seen here and here.
NFC contacted Mrs Adenike Tadese, the deputy director of publicity at INEC who confirmed the incident to be true.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: INEC PRO, The Guardian, BBC News
Claim 12
CLAIM: An X user, @jamesatts claimed that INEC no longer transmits electronically for real-time result monitoring
THE FINDINGS: With the tweet made at 4:02 pm, checks revealed that INEC has uploaded over 3,715 polling units results as at 4:55pm on the IREV portal which serves as a real-time result monitoring.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC iREV
Claim 13
CLAIM: An X user, @Imranmuhdz claims that 1,381 out of 4,519 results have been successfully uploaded to the INEC IREV server for the Edo Governorship Election as at 3:47pm on Saturday, September 21.
THE FINDINGS: Checks on the INEC IREV portal indicate that 3,845 out of 4,519 results have been uploaded as at 6:07 pm on Saturday, September 21.
The NFC also spoke to Bakare Majeed, a Premium Times’ journalist, who confirmed that while some polling units have successfully uploaded their results, others, such as Open Space Osagiede Uzzi in Oredo Local Government are still facing network challenges.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: INEC IREV portal, Premium Times.
Claim 14
CLAIM: An X user, @PO_GrassRootM shared an image with the claim that results have been illegally written in Edo North.
THE FINDINGS: NFC checks, using TinEye and other reverse image searches, show that the picture has been on the internet as far back as 2019 during Nigeria’s 2019 general elections. INEC is yet to announce results from various local governments in Edo State.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: OSINT, BBC News
Claim 15
CLAIM: X users share an election result sheet, claiming rigging in Osholo Primary School polling unit, Etsako East LGA, Edo State.
THE FINDINGS: The result uploaded to the INEC IREV portal suggests potential rigging. According to the summary, 493 voters were registered, 213 accredited, yet 406 valid votes were recorded along with one void. These discrepancies indicate possible manipulation at the polling unit.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: INEC IREV Portal.
READ NIGERIA’S 2023 GENERAL ELECTION LIVE-CHECKS BELOW:
*This fact-check report was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Salako Emmanuel, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Cole Praise, Lateef Sanni, Lademi Aborisade, Philip Anjorin, Silas Jonathan, Sunday Awosoro, Mohammed Taoheed, Amarachi Onwuzulike, Asiat Jimoh (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Adelola Semilore, Denzel Amobi, Muktar Balogun (Africa Check); Caleb Ijioma, Precious Ewuji, Agbelusi Samuel (RoundCheck); Orji Ruth (NatureFacts); Ayodele Oluwafemi, Claire Mom (The Cable); Faruk Shuaibu (Daily Trust); Kamal Idress (WikkiTimes); Hannah Ajakaiye, Olayinka Oladokun, Efemena Ighofose (FactsMatterNG); Pascal Ibe and Blessing Otoibhi (ICIR); and Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab).
It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Lois Ugbede (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat (CCIJ), and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub) and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).
