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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 new report by NewsGuard has uncovered how 41 TikTok accounts are using AI-generated narration to disseminate political misinformation at scale.
The platform described it as “the rise of the TikTok AI content farm.”
“Content farms are entities that generate large volumes of low-quality content, typically to attract views and ad revenue. AI has essentially democratized the content farm, allowing anyone to generate slick narration in videos instantly at scale,” the report stated.
It noted that in September 2023, the platform identified a network of 17 TikTok accounts using AI text-to-speech software to create videos advancing conspiracy theories about celebrities, garnering hundreds of millions of views.
The new discovery now shows that the phenomenon appears to be growing and shifting its focus to politics. This may be due to elections slated to be held in various countries in 2024.
“These 41 AI content farm accounts, which NewsGuard detected with the help of AI detection tool TrueMedia.org, published 9,784 videos in just 458 days, from March 2023 to June 2024, cumulatively garnering over 380 million views,” part of the report reads.
“Most of these accounts were created in 2024. On average, each account posted at least one video daily, with some publishing up to four AI-narrated videos a day. The videos spread false narratives on topics including U.S. and European politics and the Russia-Ukraine war,” it noted.
According to the report, seventeen of the 41 accounts regularly post false, pro-Kremlin narratives about the Russia-Ukraine war. Fourteen of these 17 accounts are in French.
NewsGuard identified identical scripts for different videos across several of these accounts, each read by different AI voices, suggesting a coordinated effort between at least some of the accounts.
The report revealed that eighteen of the accounts appeared to qualify for TikTok’s “Creator Fund,” which pays creators based on their views and engagement. This means these accounts have over 10,000 authentic followers and more than 100,000 authentic views in the last 30 days.
When contacted by NewsGuard, a TikTok spokesperson referred to the platform’s policies on misinformation and AI-generated content.
“TikTok has industry leading AI-generated content policies and tools to label content, as well as policies that prohibit the spread of harmful misinformation,” the spokesperson wrote in a July 2024 email. “We will continue to remove content that violates those policies.”
TikTok removed some of the accounts before NewsGuard inquired about them. As of July 8, 2024, 14 of the 41 accounts identified by NewsGuard had already been removed. After NewsGuard contacted TikTok for comment, another eight accounts were taken offline. Nineteen of 41 accounts remained active as of July 10, 2024.
A Nigerian music artiste, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa popularly called Charly Boy has posted a video online alongside a claim that Kenyan lawmakers were seen running for their lives and hiding in the bush after being chased by protesters.
In the footage posted on X (formerly Twitter) on July 5, 2024, some people could be seen dressed in corporate wears while having their meals in what looked like a lunch setting as they conversed in an African language.
The caption on the post read:
Kenyan parliamentarians, after running for their lives ended up eating in the bush. Nigerian youths ooooo This will be benediction for Nigerian APC government, parliamentarians, low and high ministers, Ambassadors, ect ect. Kenya’s current dispensation is Just a friendly “good morning” compared to what’s looming and Awaits the so called giant of them all.
It will be recalled that on June 18, 2024, protests erupted in Kenya with citizens demanding President William Ruto‘s resignation over a finance bill they believe will increase taxes and exacerbate the already difficult economic situation in the country. The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, but the demonstrations turned deadly on Tuesday when youths entered the Parliament building.
A section of the Kenyan Parliament was set on fire while lawmakers were inside. The protesters, outnumbering the police, forced their way into the premises, causing the lawmakers to flee.
Charly Boy’s post on X has garnered over 540,000 views, with more than 4,000 likes and over 2,500 reposts as of July 12, 2024.
CLAIM
Video shows Kenyan lawmakers hiding in the bush after being chased by protesters.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
Screenshot of the claim retrieved from X. INSERT: Misleading verdict.
Our fact-checker observed that the video had a TikTok‘s watermark which indicated that the video was likely shared on the social media app originally.
A TikTok search revealed that the footage was posted with no caption on the app by one Godfredy Kimath with the username: @gkimath7 on June 2, 2024. It has garnered over 1.2 million views on TikTok as of July 12.
However, further checks conducted on a screenshot from the footage using Google Lens search displayed an earlier version of the video posted on June 1, 2024 by an X user, James Mbowe (@JamesMbowe4). The video post had a caption written in an African language later identified to be Swahili, using Google Translate.
The caption on the X post in Swahili read thus:
Jana tulishiriki Ibada ya Mwisho ya Mzee Francis Koka (104) Baba Mzazi wa Mh Koka Mbunge wa Kibaha mjini. Ibada hii ilifanyika Kijiji cha Mkolowonyi Marangu. Mzee Francis amemaliza Safari yake ya hapa Duniani akiwa na Umri wa Miaka 104. Hakika tunamshukuru sana Mungu kwa Zawadi ya Umri mrefu kwa Mzee Francis. Ambaye Hata katika uzee wake bado alikuwa na akili timamu. Mungu aiweke Roho ya Mtumishi wake mahali pema Amen.
Yesterday we participated in the Last Service of Elder Francis Koka (104), Father of Mr. Koka, Member of Parliament for Kibaha in the city. This ceremony was held in Mkolowonyi Marangu Village. Mzee Francis has finished his journey here on Earth at the age of 104. We are truly grateful to God for the gift of a long life to Mzee Francis. Who even in his old age was still sane. May God rest the soul of his servant in the right place, Amen.
Also, the same footage with similar caption in Swahili was also posted on the Instagram account of the same James Mbowe on June 1 as seen here.
A Google search on the keywords ‘Koka Kibaha Parliament‘ displayed results that show the name belonged to Silvestry Fransis Koka, a Tanzanian politician from the CCM party and member of Parliament for Kibaha Mjini constituency in Tanzania.
Further checks on Marangu, the location of the funeral event mentioned in the X post, using Google search showed that it is a town situated on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Moreover, a Tanzanian news blog, Nukta, had also on July 8, 2024 debunked the claim via its publication.
The FactCheckHub have repeatedly debunked false information being spread by Charly Boy as seen here, here and here.
In the heat of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, The FactCheckHubanalysed how Charly Boy spreads disinformation to promote Peter Obi’s candidacy during the presidential election.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Kenyan lawmakers hiding in the bush after being chased by protesters is MISLEADING; the video was a scene at the interment event held for the late Elder Francis Koka, the father of a Tanzanian parliamentarian (Silvestry Koka), held in Marangu, Tanzania.
RESIDENTS of Lagos State recently experienced heavy floods following the torrential rain that left many families homeless for days.
The development sparked criticisms from the citizens who alleged that the situation has become a recurring problem due to negligence by the state government.
READ:
However, some supporters of the government argued that the situation is a natural disaster which occurs everywhere in the world regardless of the government’s efforts.
Amidst this controversy, an X user, @Abdullahayofel, posted a video showing buildings submerged in water due to flood with a claim that the incident occurred in Austria.
“Austria is flooded. And @tokunbo_wahab and Sanwo-Olu cannot do anything about it?,” he posted on the social media platform.
The post has generated over 120,000 views, with more than 200 reposts, over 200 comments and over 500 likes as of July 9, 2024.
CLAIM
Video shows flooding incident in Austria.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Its capital is Vienna, and the country has a population of around 9 million people.
Screenshot of the viral post retrieved from X. INSERT: Misleading verdict.
The FactCheckHub observed key details in the video and analyzed them using satellite imagery technology. The result shows that the viral video does not depict any flooding that occurred in Austria.
First, our researcher observed that one of the buildings submerged in water has an inscription “Savarauto Multimarcas”.
Using this clue, we searched for the name on Google and we found out that the building is owned by a car dealing company located in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
We also noted that the prefix (51) that precedes the phone number on the building corresponds to the area code for Porto Alegre, which is the capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the country.
Aerial view of the spot where the flooding occurred in Brazil.
Using these details, we conducted a street view search on Google Maps and it revealed that the building is located on Edu Chaves Street, Porto Alegre. The city experienced unprecedented flooding in May 2024 which led to loss of lives and properties, the BBC reported.
Other buildings seen in the video, such as Peugeot, IESA, Lyon, and Kaizon Centre, confirmed the presence of various car dealers shops or businesses in the area.
This means the flooding incident seen in the footage did not occur in Austria as claimed by the X user, as the incident happened in Brazil.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows flooding in Austria is MISLEADING; satellite imagery analysis shows that the footage depicts a flooding incident in Brazil.
THE United States has uncovered an AI-powered information operation run from Russia involving about 1,000 social media accounts posing as Americans.
The accounts on X (formerly Twitter) were automated “bots”which were designed to spread pro-Russia stories.
According to BBC, the US Justice Department said in a court document that the operation was orchestrated by a deputy editor at Kremlin-owned RT, formerly Russia Today.
RT runs TV channels in English and several other languages, but has larger followers on social media than on conventional airwaves.
The US Justice department seized two websites that were used to issue emails associated with the bot accounts, and ordered X to turn over information relating to 968 accounts that investigators say were bots.
The court documents obtained by BBC show that the accounts, which were created by AI are used to spread pro-Russian story lines especially the war in Ukraine.
“Today’s actions represent a first in disrupting a Russian-sponsored generative AI-enhanced social media bot farm,” said FBI Director, Christopher Wray.
Ray said Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate AI-generated foreign disinformation, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favourable to the Russian government.
Findings by the FBI investigators indicated that the accounts which appear to have been deleted had very few followers.
The court documents detailed how the so-called “bot farm” was founded by an RT deputy editor-in-chief who was looking for new ways to disseminate stories.
RT America was shut down when several major US cable TV providers dropped it shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Another RT employee developed the network, the court documents said, and later a Russian intelligence officer joined the effort, which the US Justice department described as an attempt “to sow discord in the United States by spreading misinformation”.
THE Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, trended on X this week as many Nigerian netizens called him out over the poor quality of roads in some communities in the state.
Several social media users stormed the X platform (formerly Twitter) with various claims, images and videos showing the poor state of roads in various parts of the state. Attached to the social media posts is the hashtag #Dapofixogunroads.
One of the netizens leading the social media campaign on X is Hauwa Allahbura, with the username: @HauwaAllahbura.
On July 2, 2024, Hauwa claimed on X that the Ogun State government budgeted a higher allocation for the office of the governor than the state’s Ministry of Works.
“Ministry of Works Budget in 2024 N480mn. Governor STEEZE Budget is about N103bn. How will Ogun State roads be fixed? We beg you steeze governor, remove some budget from your steeze and fix the roads. #Dapofixogunroads.”
The post has generated over 52,000 views with over 400 reposts and more than 600 likes as of July 6, 2024.
CLAIM
The budget for Ogun state governor’s office is higher than that of the state’s Ministry of Works.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE, as the N103 billion allocated for the Ogun State governor’s office in the 2024 budget is not strictly for Governor Dapo Abiodun but included government agencies under the governor’s office supervision.
In December 2023, Ogun State House of Assembly passed the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N703 billion. The budget was titled “Budget of Sustained Growth and Development.”
The budget comprised of N415.66 billion for capital expenditures and N287.37 billion for recurrent expenditures in the state.
Budget for the office of the governor, Ogun state/ Source: Ogun 2024 budget
The state’s 2024 budget has revenue costs of N27.35 billion, personnel costs of N95.05 billion, overhead expenses of N105.88 billion, and public debt charges of N59.09 billion.
“The 2024 budget proposal is the fifth prepared by this administration. It reflects the serious challenges currently facing our state, the key reforms necessary to address them, and imperatives to achieve higher, more inclusive, diversified, and sustainable growth,” Abiodun said in November 2023 when he presented the budget to the state’s lawmakers at a plenary session.
A look at the state’s 2024 budget shows that the funds are not restricted to running the governor’s office only.
Out of the N103 billion, only N64 billion was budgeted strictly for the running of Abiodun’s office. A sum of N530 million was meant for the office of deputy governor while the rest was allocated to other agencies under the governor’s office such as Ogun State Road Safety Advisory Council, Bureau of Public Procurement, state’s Bureau of Pension and office of the economic adviser, among others.
Budget for the Ogun State Ministry of Works/ Source: Ogun 2024 budget
Assuming the funds are even meant for the governor’s office only, it’s still lower compared to the budget for the state’s Ministry of Works. A look at the budget shows that N192.4 billion was allocated to the ministry.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the budget for the governor’s office is higher than that of the state’s Ministry of Works is FALSE as findings showed that the latter got a higher allocation.
THE phrase “Peace Mission” was plastered across tabloids and amplified on social media, but it was a cruel contradiction for the Okuama community in Delta State’s Ughelli South Local Government Area of Nigeria. The reality was a decimated community, concealed corpses, and a deserted town with graveyard silence on March 14, 2024. DUBAWA’s investigation fact-checked the military’s “no retaliation” promise amidst a deluge of information disorders that complicated the crisis.
Okuama residents deliberate in a sober mood. Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA
Okrika Emmanuel spread his arms like a father about to embrace a lost son while describing his once expansive family residence. But when DUBAWA’s gaze followed his direction, all that was left was the rubble of a building that once existed.
Behind his tinted glasses were eyes that had seen his wife’s death in 2023 and now the worst days of his life—living as a refugee in his homeland. Before retiring from civil service in February 2023, he had built a home and a hotel for his post-retirement needs. His wife had three compounds, but after the siege, only ruins remained.
Mr Emmanuel stands in front of his ruined properties in Okuama community. Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
“My 35 years of suffering have just been destroyed. It’s terrible for me. Even the state government hasn’t paid my pension. To eat is now a problem. My only hope was the hotel, which has now been demolished,” he told DUBAWA.
Mr Emmanuel and other community members had recently returned from exile after an eight-week siege by the Nigerian Army following the gruesome murder of 17 military personnel on March 14, 2024. The most viral claim was that soldiers had an altercation with youths who then carried out the horrific act, as shown here and here.
Gruesome pictures and videos of dead soldiers on the Forcados River shores circulated widely, drawing global attention. Using Media Cloud, DUBAWA discovered that the incident peaked on March 16, with 8.40% of media content nationwide.
Media coverage of the Okuama incidents in graphics on Media Cloud. Credit: Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA
Fortunately for Emmanuel, he was in Warri during the military invasion, unlike Mary Macaulay, an 80-year-old woman who endured the eight-week ordeal in the debris of her own home, anticipating death as the hope of rescue dimmed with every passing day.
Mary Macaulay after getting rescued. Source: Ewu Clan Development Forum.
Kewe Amanese, the medical doctor attending to Mary at the Hospital Management Board Government Hospital in Ewu-Urhobo, Ughelli South LGA, said she miraculously survived.
“When she came in, I saw an elderly woman who was chronically ill-looking with peri-orbital sunkenness, bilateral leg swellings, and bony prominence all over. So I made a diagnosis of protein energy malnutrition with severe anaemia,” Amanese said.
Mary’s survival was attributed to her strong will. She suffered without adequate food or water, sustaining over 15 deep wounds and taking four pints of blood to recover from an 8 per cent PCV. “She’s seriously malnourished, and it will take her a couple of months to regain her initial state,” Amanese added.
Mary Macaulay, as of May 31, 2024. Credit: Ewu Clan Development Forum.
How social media-driven information disorder complicated the crisis
Rumours of impending doom had spread fear among residents after different accounts claimed that the army was on a peace mission to settle the communal dispute between Okuama and Okoloba. Brig. Gen Tukur Gusau, Defence Information’s acting director, mentioned Delta youths as the culprits but did not specify Okuama. However, social media already anticipated the military’s reaction, with some users calling for the community’s demolition.
Sulaiman Adebayo (@PoojaMedia) deleted tweet calling for community demolition. Credit: @IamTheIroko/X
A few days after the military pulled out, DUBAWA visited Okuama to investigate how information disorder contributed to the conflict. DUBAWA found that among other claims this report fact-checked, the military’s actions contradicted their claims of non-retaliation.
Journey to the Badlands
Before DUBAWA’s arrival on May 18, 2024, our fixer facilitated a meeting with the Ewu Clan Development Forum, the umbrella body of all 17 communities in the Ewu Kingdom, including Okuama.
Edewor Egedegbe, the forum’s secretary general, revealed that the conflict began on January 27, 2024, when three Okuama indigenes were murdered over a land dispute with Patrick Akpobolokemi, an influential figure from Okoloba recently discharged and acquitted of N8.5 billion fraud case –during his tenure as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)’s former director-general– with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr Edewor (in white). Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
On Feb. 2, 2024, the community wrote to the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and the police commissioner, Olufemi Abaniwonda, to address the situation but received no response. Only to see military officers arrive on a “peace mission” and request that the community leaders follow them to the Army base in Bomadi on March 14, 2024.
The community refused to follow them without their local leaders’ presence. Amidst a heated exchange, the military departed and was attacked by strange boats on the Forcados River, according to multiple witnesses and the Ewu Clan Development Forum. The forum identified 101 Okuama residents who died: 86 in the attack and 15 in the forest.
Following the interview at Ughelli, we journeyed further to the ancestral land of Okuama, where we met Mr Emmanuel and Revd. Abraham Agbere, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church in the community since he arrived in Jan. 2021. The church still stood, but his vicarage was gone. Agbere told DUBAWA that he fled on March 15 after seeing calls for the community’s demolition on social media.
Now, Agbere counts his losses: “I feel so bad. For instance, I had 15 bags of Garri and ten oil jerry cans. They were looted. I left money and church uniforms. Nothing was left,” he said.
The church became the community’s haven after the soldiers’ withdrawal. “There was nowhere to stay; they had to be here [the church]. Some of them organised the food they’re now eating,” Agbere said.
Esiteru Votte, a 57-year-old mother of five, recounted the mayhem in pidgin, “They wanted to arrest our chairman, and we women present firmly held on to him. The army started shooting, and we all ran helter-skelter. Many died in the bush, and we haven’t seen some of the others.”
Esiteru Votte, 57, sorrowfully recounting her experience. Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
“We only eat fruits with fish and sleep in groups inside the bush. I gave birth to five children, and only two are with me. I’m yet to see the rest,” she added.
Crisis disinformation spreads on social media
Since the incident, various claims have gone viral on social media, causing tensions online and offline. One claim by Emeka Gift Official (@EmekaGift100) showed boats in flames, attributing it to the Nigerian Army’s retaliatory actions.
A keyframe of the viral video. Source: @emekagift100/ X.
The account also claimed that children and women were burnt alive by the Nigerian Army, who he said had declared war on the region. This prompted questions about military inaction against similar treatment from northern insurrection and harsh treatment against the people from the Eastern part of Nigeria. However, we analysed the video using InVid WeVerify and found that the incident was a fire outbreak in Nembe, Rivers State, from January 2024 – unrelated to the military’s visit to Okuama.
The distance measured between Okuama and Nembe on Google Earth. Credit: Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA.
Another narrative suggested soldiers got into a brawl with youths after shooting two community members, leading to the siege. According to the claim, the encounter happened when the soldiers got into the town, requesting to see the community shrine and chief priest. This was also false; our investigation showed that 17 soldiers died, not 12. The claim had no basis from credible reports, though many Facebook accounts shared it.
Infographic visualisation of Facebook pages sharing the shrine narrative illustrated with Datawrapper. Credit: Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA.
The ruins in pictures
A viral video showing burning buildings was compared with on-field evidence. The community was in ruins, with buildings demolished, including the only primary school there. The Catholic church, the only building left untouched during the siege because it housed the soldiers, became the shelter for about 70 returnees. DUBAWA retrieved old footage showing the community’s appearance before the demolition to put things into perspective. The videos were shot in 2012 when the community experienced a heavy flood.
Before and after Aderha Primary School in Okuama. Slider design by Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA.
Some residential apartments and their remains. Photo slides by Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA.
Destroyed solar streetlights in Okuama. Photo slider by Phillip Anjorin/DUBAWA.
Some demolished buildings were found near St. Peter’s Church (L). Source: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
The burning houses, the boathouse, and the concrete boundary were labelled 1,2,& 3, respectively. Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
Ruins of the Baptist Church in Okuama. Credit: Sunday Awsoro/ DUBAWA.
Okuama Community Hall in ruins. Credit: Sunday Awosoro/DUBAWA.
Editor’s warning: To avoid displaying graphic content, list, pictures and videos of the dead can be accessed here.
“Community were Accomplice” – Defence HQ
The Armed Forces’ deleted cryptic tweet. Source: TheCable.
The Armed Forces’ cryptic X (formerly Twitter) post, “The audacity,” hinted at their response. Contrary to the military’s disclaimer of non-retaliation, DUBAWA confirmed that all houses, schools, a primary healthcare facility, churches, a community hall, a hotel, and streetlights were demolished in Okuama.
In an exclusive interview with DUBAWA, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, the director of the Defence Media Operation, affirmed the military’s professionalism and questioned the community’s integrity.
“Whatever went on in Okuama was to recover our arms and ammunition that were carted away when those personnel were killed. The military has released a wanted list of about eight people associated with the killings. Where are those people?” he asked.
“They’ve gone into hiding. Do the community members know where they are? Of course! Some of them know where they are, but they’ve done nothing to assist in the investigation or to apprehend the people.
“So, what are we talking about? They’re all accomplices,” he said.
Another promise: Delta Governor to rebuild schools, PHC in Okuama in 3 months
Since the conflict began, the community has received support from various organisations, including the Ughelli Diocese of the Anglican Church and the Catholic Diocese of Warri.
Sheriff Oborevwori, the Delta state governor, met the Ewu Clan Development Forum on May 25, 2024, promising to rebuild the community’s schools and health centre within three months. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Ewu, where residents were encouraged to migrate, was set to accommodate 800 guests, though the bed capacity was only 300.
Okuama has been a victim of the Army’s broken promise. Will this be another failed promise?
*This reporting was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and the Open Society Foundations. It was republished from DUBAWA.
A video alongside a claim that chemical is being used in the production of rice has been circulating online, especially on WhatsApp.
The video was a mix of two different footages. In the first footage, some men who appeared like Asians were mixing rice with some black substance in an earthenware, after which the ‘rice’ puffed up, doubled in size and the colour changed to white.
Meanwhile in the second footage, a woman could be seen talking about the rice processing in Pidgin English, even as it also displayed the first footage onscreen.
She was asserting in the video that the rice was being processed with chemicals, adding that it was harmful for human consumption.
Part of the audio from the footage transcribed read:
… E get the way rice take dey scent, e get the rice wey dey feel for mouth. Look at wetin e put o, see the way this thing go increase now now , see wetin he mix am with. Ah this people ehn, this people . They want to finish the world and this is what our people are consuming on a daily basis , Nobody on earth wey no eat rice. Small thing wey e put join that black na him mix am so, e go come many, e go come rise. Ehn this is too bad. Just watch and see how they would package this rice and bring for people to be buying and selling. Using Chemicals to do rice… They are using chemical to produce rice.
She further said that rice are no longer being planted in farms but rather being manufactured artificially as they looked really clean and had no stones in them, unlike locally planted rice.
Due to the health significance of the video, and its virality on WhatsApp, The FactCheckHub decided to check the claim.
CLAIM
Video shows chemicals being used to produce artificial rice.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
Screenshot of the footage retrieved from WhatsApp. Insert: MISLEADING verdict.
An analysis conducted on the footage showed a previous version which was uploaded on Instagram in December 2022 by an IG user: @_veggie_bite_.
A text inscription on the video read: Murmura/Puffed Rice Making.
In the caption, there were a lot of hashtags including Indian street food and Mumbai street food which clearly indicates that the video was likely taken in or related to India.
In India, puffed rice is known by various regional names such as murmura in Hindi, pura in Punjabi, mamra in Gujarati, kurmura in Marathi, charmbura in Konkani, muri in Bengali, mudhi in Odia, muri in Assamese, pori in Tamil and Malayalam, mandakki in Kannada, and kurlari in Tulu, and borugulu in Telugu.
Puffed rice is a type of puffed grain made from rice and is a staple food in traditional cuisines across Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It has been commercially produced in the West since 1904 and is commonly found in breakfast cereals and snack foods.
Also, an online news outlet, Asia Net News, published a story about a video shared by the Instagram user @_veggie_bite_, demonstrating how puffed rice is produced by a local industry in India.
According to sources like the Pharmeasy and The Economic Times, puffed rice is highly nutritious, containing many essential macronutrients and micronutrients. It can be enriched with dietary fiber, protein, zinc, iron, and vitamins A and C.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows chemicals being used to produce artificial rice is MISLEADING; what is being made in the video is puffed rice which is a breakfast staple and a snack commonly eaten in some parts of India.
A video that allegedly shows Boko Haram terrorists getting arms and ammunitions supply by air has resurfaced online.
In the video posted by an X user, @moonstarchukwu1, a helicopter could be seen landing in a bush as a man brings out bags from the aircraft while some men were approaching the helicopter to receive them.
A song could be heard in the background of the footage, as windy noise from the helicopter’s rotating blades envelope the environ.
In case you have been wondering how the Boko- Haram gets their arms and ammunitions , wonder no more.
The post has since gained a traction of over 500,000 views, more than 4,400 likes and 3,900 reposts as of July 5, 2024.
Another X user, @Africa_Archives, also shared the same video on June 29, 2024 with a different caption that read:
In case you have been wondering how the Boko- Haram terrorists gets their arms and ammunitions, wonder no more. Foreigners are supplying them with arms and ammunitions in Helicopters. Your comments on this.
The FactCheckHub had previously debunked a misleading claim made by @Africa_Archives on the X platform (formerly Twitter) about a Namibian cultural practice.
CLAIM
Video shows Boko Haram terrorists getting arms and ammunitions supply by air.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
Screenshot of the claim retrieved from X. INSERT: Misleading verdict.
Results from a keyword search on Google.com using the words “Helicopter ammunitions arms Boko Haram” display multiple media reports earlier published to debunk the claim, dating back to 2014.
This shows that this is not the first time the claim would be circulating online.
Further checks led our fact-checker to a statement by African Parks debunking the claim when it also resurfaced in 2021.
African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in some African countries in partnership with governments and local communities.
The statement noted that the narrative was false and contrary to the claim, the helicopter was conducting a supply mission to Chinko, a town in Central African Republic.
The statement read:
A video containing footage of an African Parks helicopter in Chinko, Central African Republic, is being circulated in connection with false information on social media, misrepresenting the location, the identities of the people and the activities appearing in the footage.
African Parks can confirm that this video shows its helicopter conducting a routine resupply mission on December 4th 2021 in Chinko, Central African Republic, which it manages in partnership with the CAR Government. During this mission, the helicopter was transporting Chinko’s transhumance sensitization teams and their supplies within the park, emplacing a team and their supplies in the field while recovering another team from the field. These teams conduct extended sensitization missions on the ground to engage with cattle herders moving through the region seasonally, where they initiate dialogue around Chinko’s location to encourage them to utilize the correct established routes around the park’s perimeter. These sensitization teams are unarmed, clearly marked, and recruited out of the local community in order to provide culturally-sensitive and peaceful engagement with cattle herders to ensure the long-term sustainability of the landscape.
Also, other fact-checking and media organisations such as AFP Fact-Check, HumAngle and France24’s The Observers had also debunked the claim.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Boko Haram terrorists getting arms and ammunitions supply is MISLEADING; the video shows an African Parks helicopter conducting a routine resupply mission in the Central African Republic (CAR).
SOME media reports have documented the reactions of clerics, civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights activists condemning the signing of the Samoa Agreement by the Nigerian government saying it attempts to promote LGBTQ, transgenders among others.
The Samoa Agreement signed on 15 November 2023, is a framework agreement for cooperation between 27 countries of the European Union and 79 countries of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).
The agreement also has a trade component of $150 billion. Currently, 46 OACPS countries and 27 EU countries have signed it. For the agreement to be fully implemented, all 27 EU members must sign it.
The partnership agreement lays down common principles and covers the following priority areas: human rights, democracy and governance; peace and security; human and social development; inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development; environmental sustainability and climate change; migration and mobility.
Meanwhile, on Monday, July 1, the minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu confirmed the development at a reception organised by the European Union (EU) in Abuja.
A report said that Bagudu’s media assistant, Bolaji Adebiyi, when contacted noted the documents signed by the federal government, which the minister of Budget referred to during the reception by the EU, were strictly for the economic development of Nigeria.
“He said nowhere in the documents were LGBT or same-sex marriage mentioned even remotely, and emphatically stating that it would be wrong for anyone to imply that Nigeria had accepted those tendencies,” the report noted.
The same report said the chairman, Human and Constitutional Rights Committee, African Bar Association (AfBA), Sonnie Ekwowusi, noted that some articles of the Samoa Agreement promotes LGBTQ among others. Ewowusi according to the report referenced Articles 2.5 and 29.5 of the agreement.
“The Samoa Agreement, named after the Pacific Island, Samoa, where it was signed on November 15, 2023 is a celebration of perversity. Certain Articles of the Agreement especially Articles 2.5 and 29.5 legalise LGBT, transgenderism, abortion, teen sexual abuse, and perversity in African countries. The signing of the Agreement by Nigeria constitutes a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria and Africa. It further debases our democracy.
“I can wager that neither Minister Atiku Bagudu nor the Nigerian officials or diplomats who signed the Samoa Agreement on our behalf, understand the import of the agreement to Nigeria’s sovereignty, let alone the destructive impact of the Agreement in Nigeria. This explains why many African bodies including the AfBA have condemned the agreement and respectfully urged African countries not to sign it.
“Not infrequently, Nigerian officials in Geneva, New York, and other places sign international agreements or treaties over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with little or no knowledge of their contents”, Ewowusi was quoted as saying.
What do the referenced articles say?
The two articles referenced have been used by many people when discussing the Samoa Agreement.
“Why most it be named “Samoa agreement” knowing fully well article 2.5 and 29.5 of the said legalized the LGBT?”, a X use Aminu with the username @aminu_bala queried in reaction to an update from Nigeria’s minister of information.
What does the articles say? The ICIR obtained a copy of the Samoa Agreement that has been signed by multiple countries to check.
The articles in the agreement which is 172 pages [the 403 pages is the the draft copy] titled ‘Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, of the other part’ states:
Article 2.5:
“The Parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies.”
Article 2 of Samoa agreement.
Article 29.5:
“The Parties shall support universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.”
The ICIR went further to filter the documents with specific keywords like LGBTQ, homosexuals and transgenders to check if any part of the agreement referred to these words. The result came out negative.
The ICIR also compared the referenced articles in the signed document and the draft and they were the same.
Article 29 in the 403-page draft copy.
Article 2 in the 403-page draft copy.
More concerns
Some other parts of the articles that raised concerns about promoting these rights are:
Article 9.2: “The Parties shall commit to the promotion of universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination based on any ground including sex, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, disability, age, or other status. They commit to fighting all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and all forms of violence and discrimination, including all instances of advocacy of hatred. They commit to the recognition and advancement of the rights of Indigenous peoples, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)”
Article 36.2: “The Parties commit to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action9 and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development10 and the outcomes of their review conferences and commit to sexual and reproductive health and rights, in that context.”
The chief executive officer of TAO Energy, Tobi Oluwatola, spoke to The ICIR saying, “There is no reference to LGBTQ in the document. We shouldn’t be looking for a reason to discriminate against a minority group where there is not one. I think Nigerians should respect the human rights of everyone”
Recall that in 2014, former President Jonathan signed into law a bill that criminalises same-sex relationships with penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex ‘amorous relationships’ and membership of gay rights groups.
The ICIR has reported how in Nigeria, the discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) community exposes them to attacks, abduction, and sometimes leaving them without adequate access to healthcare.
MAYOR of Blanco, Texas and founder of Africa Arise International, Mike Arnold has claimed that the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report showed that Nigeria recorded unprecedented progress in addressing insecurity in the country.
Mike made this claim in an article published in Premium Times titled “Reason for hope amid Gwoza bombing” where he spoke on the recent suicide bombing at a wedding in a Gwoza community of Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria.
He wrote, “The latest Global Terror Index shows Nigeria has made unprecedented progress in addressing insecurity. Let us help democracy by not rewarding Boko Haram with doom-and-gloom media coverage of this latest episode. Rather, balance coverage of this tragedy by reporting the truth of how the tide has turned and the terrorists are on their last legs. Nigerians have legitimate reason to hope. That’s the real story here.”
It will be recalled that over 30 persons died following recent suicide bombings carried out by female bombers in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state on Saturday.
CLAIM
Global Terrorism Index shows Nigeria recorded ‘unprecedented’ progress in addressing insecurity, writes Mike Arnold.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The Global Terrorism Index by the Institute for Economics & Peace provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2011. The report ranks 163 countries (99.7 per cent of the world’s population) according to the impact of terrorism. The indicators include the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages.
It summarises trends in terrorism over time and analyses its changing patterns in terms of geographic activity, methods of attack, organisations involved and the national economic and political context. The index has also been compared to a range of socio-economic indicators to determine the key factors most strongly associated with terrorism.
Nigeria’s rank on the latest Global Terrorism Index.
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the latest version of the report was the 2024 edition released in February which documented key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2012.
According to the report, Nigeria is still among the top 10 countries most impacted by terrorism in the world.
President Tinubu became Nigeria’s president on May 29, 2023, and vowed to address security problems in the country. However, the report indicated that Nigeria maintained 8th position it was in 2022 before Tinubu assumed office until the end of 2023.
According to the report, Nigeria recorded its first increase in terrorism in three years in 2023, with total deaths rising by 34 per cent to 524 marking its highest death toll since 2020. This is due to the conflict between Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.
“Civilians were the most targeted group for the second consecutive year in 2023, followed by military personnel. Civilians were targeted in over a quarter of all attacks, followed by military personnel at 21 per cent and law enforcement also at 21 per cent,” the report noted.
The report showed that ISWAP accounted for 53 per cent of the nation’s terrorism-related fatalities and 37 per cent of terrorist incidents in 2023 while Boko Haram recorded its deadliest year since 2020, with 29 attacks leading to 151 deaths, a significant rise from the nine attacks and 72 deaths recorded in the previous year.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria has made unprecedented progress in addressing insecurity as claimed by Mike Arnold is FALSE; Nigeria has maintained its position as the 8th most impacted country by terrorism in 2022 and 2023 when President Tinubu became president, according to 2024 GTI.
![[EXPLAINER] LGBTQ+: What do ‘Articles 2.5 and 29.5’ of Samoa Agreement say?](https://factcheckhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/LGBTQ-FLAG-768x439.jpg "[EXPLAINER] LGBTQ+: What do ‘Articles 2.5 and 29.5’ of Samoa Agreement say?")
