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Clip of Salama Mohamed speaking about abuse on a podcast is NOT about her divorce

Fatimah Quadri
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Clip of Salama Mohamed speaking about abuse on a podcast is NOT about her divorce

A viral clip from a podcast featuring Salama Mohamed, an entrepreneur and content creator based in the UAE, has been circulating on the internet, particularly TikTok.

In the viral clip where she was speaking about her being abused, TikTok users claimed she stated that the abuse was the reason for her divorce.

Different versions of the clips from the full podcast have been shared on TikTok, which can be seen here, here and, here , but the captions saying she was talking about being abused in her marriage.”

Salama Mohamed is married to Khalid Al-Ameri with two kids; the duo are well known for their comic social media content centred around family and marriage. While there have been speculations from fans that the couple have been divorced, the latter are yet to make any statement/announcement concerning the issue.

The clips started making rounds on the internet from the third/fourth week in March 2024 and has garnered close to one million views on some accounts that has a considerable amount of viewership.

CLAIM

Salama Mohamed was abused in her marriage with Kahlid leading to divorce.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub shows that the claim is MISLEADING!

Photo collage of the claims extracted from TikTok; Insert misleading verdict
Photo collage of the claims extracted from TikTok; Insert misleading verdict

The FactCheckHub traced the full podcast/interview on Hikmat Wehbi Podcast on YouTube which was aired on Tuesday March,  5 2024. In the full podcast which was over an hour, Mohamed was speaking about the challenges she faced as a child growing up with vitiligo, her social media presence, her business and being a mother.

The clip that was being shared of her being abused began at 10:39, the interviewer asked if her being in comedy started from a place of trauma and she responded in the affirmative while sharing insights of her childhood in which she was speaking about how she was traumatised and abused as a child. She further said seeing her children happy makes her sad as she did’nt have that kind of childhood.

“My life was’nt easy, it was not just vitiligo… Sometimes, when my kids Khalifah and Abdullah are playing fighting with each other, screaming and laughing all day you know as kids normally play. They’re having fun, sometimes i just slip away and go to my bedroom, and i just go under the cover and cry… as i think to myself that there was never one day where i did’nt go through many kinds of abuse and ‘abuse’ is the nice way to say it. It was torture literally…”

She also did not say anything regarding if she and her husband were divorced or not as speculated by social media users.

THE VERDICT

The claim that Salama Mohamed was abused in her marriage leading to a divorce is misleading; the video is being shared out of context. In the viral video, she was speaking about her being abused in her childhood and not in her marriage. She also did not mention if she was divorced or not.

Manipulated image of Kanye West’s wife wearing long fur coat circulates online  

Blessing Amala Muonwe
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Manipulated image of Kanye West’s wife wearing long fur coat circulates online  

AN X user @Am_Blujay, has posted a digitally manipulated image of Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori on his X page.

The image showed Kanye and his wife, with the wife wearing a long fur coat that touched her ankle. 

In the post made on April 7, 2024, but which is still going viral, the X post read:

“Kanye heard yall complaining that her wife walks naked then boom”

The image was posted on Saturday, April 7th, 2024, and since its inception, it has garnered over 17.7 million views, 285, 000 likes, 3,000 comments, and 17,000 reposts.

CLAIM 

Manipulated image of Kanye West’s Wife wearing a long Fur Coat
Manipulated image of Kanye West’s Wife wearing a long Fur Coat

Manipulated image of Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori wearing a long Fur Coat

THE FINDINGS

original image of Bianca censori wearing a short fur coat
original image of kanye west’s wife, Bianca censori wearing a short fur coat

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!

A reverse image search conducted on the image showed that in the original image, Bianca wore a short fur coat and not the long fur coat as portrayed in the viral image. 

Findings showed that reputable new agencies like the DailyMail had published the original and unaltered image on March 30, 2024.

Further search also led us to a video posted on Instagram which showed the two of them during the outing further confirming that the image in circulation had been altered. 

THE VERDICT

The claim shows that the image of Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori wearing a long fur coat is MISLEADING; findings show that she was wearing a short fur coat and the image was manipulated.

Cybersecurity firm cautions organisations, individuals against deepfakes increase

Fatimah Quadri
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Cybersecurity firm cautions organisations, individuals against deepfakes increase

A cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky has cautioned organisations and individuals in Africa to be on alert as deepfakes are still going to be a bigger problem in the future

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies have become widely used in recent years, giving threat actors more advanced tools with which to launch assaults.

The enterprise client lead for Kaspersky in Africa, Bethwel Opil, noted that even though the time and effort required to create such attacks frequently outweigh any possible benefits, The potential for malicious use when it comes to deepfakes is clear.

Read Also: Five financial scams to be wary of in 2024

“The potential for malicious use when it comes to deep fakes is clear, from blackmailing to perpetrating financial fraud and spreading misinformation via social media, the potential knock-on effects may be significant.

Invariably, cybercriminals are still looking for cheaper and quicker methods to propagate their campaigns. However, we anticipate an increase in targeted attacks using deepfakes, especially against influential people and high net worth individuals or organisations in the coming years that will justify the time and effort it takes attackers to create deepfakes.” He noted.

According to Kaspersky research, deepfake creation tools and services are available on darknet markets. GenAI video creation is available from these firms for a range of uses, such as data theft, blackmail, and fraud. Experts from Kaspersky have estimated that the cost of a minute of a deepfake movie is approximately N361,000 ($300.)

According to the 2023 Kaspersky Business Digitisation Survey, which gathered input from 2 000 respondents across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, 51% of employees believed they could differentiate between a deepfake and a real image. However, in a test, only 25% were actually able to distinguish a real image from an AI-generated one.

Opil noted that employees are frequently the main targets of phishing and other social engineering attacks, this puts organizations at danger citing a recent occurrence, he added that cybercriminals can fabricate a video purporting to show a CEO authorizing a payment or requesting a wire transfer in order to steal company funds. It is possible to produce compromised photos or videos of someone and use such to demand money or information from them.

“Despite the technology for creating high-quality deep fakes not being widely available yet, one of the most likely use cases that will come from this is to generate voices in real-time to impersonate someone.

Read Also: How to safeguard your organisation from being a disinformation campaign target

For example, a finance worker at a multinational firm was recently tricked into transferring $25 million to fraudsters because of deepfake technology posed as the company’s chief financial officer in a video conference call.” Opil noted.

Opil concluded that Africa is not exempt from this threat as deepfakes pose a threat to both businesses and individual users, as they disseminate false information, can be used for fraudulent activities, or to impersonate someone without their permission and are an increasingly prevalent cyberthreat that needs to be avoided.

Video of man criticising Peter Obi over Agulu’s infrastructure is from 2022

Fatimah Quadri
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Video of man criticising Peter Obi over Agulu’s infrastructure is from 2022

An X user, @oyeniran_s, posted a video with the claim that the village of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Agulu, has been without electricity and clean water for the past five months.

In the one-minute, thirty-three-second footage, a man can be seen and heard speaking in Pidgin English, complaining about the lack of adequate social amenities in the village.

Read Also: Old video of customs official admitting giving rice to bandits resurfaces online

Part of the audio transcribed from the footage read thus:

… My people, Peter Obi’s village they do not have light for the past five months, their transformer got burnt, his own village, they do not have light. Peter Obi’s village, even old old women are contributing N5000 to buy a new transformer, in Peter Obi’s village, they do not have light, they do not have water for up to five months. They say that charity begins at home and 1 Timothy 5:8 says that if you cannot do anything good for your relatives, immediate family members, your village people you are an unbeliever and when election time comes, he would come to the same Agulu and be giving them 1000 to vote for him…

The video also had the caption posted alongside the footage reiterating the statements made from the footage which read:

For the past five months, Peter Obi’s village in Agulu has been without electricity and clean water. Elderly women, with no source of income, are being compelled to contribute N5,000 each to repair a faulty transformer, as stated by a young man in the video.

Since the post was made on Wednesday April 10 2024, it has garnered a total of 463,000 views, 345 reposts and 287 likes as at the time of filing this report.

Since, the former governor of Anambra state had donated boreholes to individuals in Kaduna state, he had received several backlash by citizens over the quality of the boreholes donated which had prompted the virality of the video

CLAIM

Video shows a man criticising Peter Obi about the state of social amenities in his village because they have not had power supply in the last 5 months.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub shows that the claim is MISLEADING!

Screenshot of the claim; Insert, Misleading verdict
Screenshot of the claim; Insert, Misleading verdict

 

A keyword search on ‘Agulu, Electricity, Transformer, Peter Obi’ provided results of previous appearance of the video on the internet.

A click on one of the links of the search results showed that the video was posted by a Facebook user in October 2022,  months before the build up of the 2023 general elections.

Another Facebook user, News in Naija posted the same video on the same day, October, 2  2022.

The video being shared on X is being shared out of context as it is not recent.

Read Also: Arise News, X users disseminate old video of Yoruba Nation’s rally as recent

THE VERDICT

The claim that a video shows a man criticising Peter Obi about the state of social amenities in his village is misleading; the video has been on the internet since 2022 and it is being shared out of context as it is not recent.

Nearly 100 people drowned after Cholera misinformation spread in Mozambique – officials

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Nearly 100 people drowned after Cholera misinformation spread in Mozambique – officials

MOZAMBICAN officials have said that misinformation about the cholera outbreak led to a panic, causing many to flee their homes and attempt to reach an island in Mozambique.

This resulted in a tragic incident where approximately 100 individuals drowned aboard an overcrowded makeshift ferry on Sunday, April 7.

High Commissioner of the Republic of Mozambique to South Africa, Maria Manuela Dos Santos Lucas said the residents who were from Lunga district fled aboard boats and headed out to sea, while fleeing from false news regarding the cholera outbreak in the area.

READ ALSO :  Cholera misinformation killed 23 in Mozambique – Police

“This morning I spoke to our minister of foreign affairs at home. It is around 100 people, 100 lives that we lost on that ferry. It is really an issue of misinformation. They (the fleeing Mozambicans) were told that there was a lot of cholera coming in, in that district of Lunga which is in the province of Nampula,” Lucas told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.

“The fishermen with boats want money and they allowed 120 people to go into that boat. If you see the boat, you cannot believe that 120 people were there. I think it is definitely an issue of disinformation.”

Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries, is no stranger to fatalities caused by the deliberate spread of false information relating to cholera.

In January, The FactCheckHub reported that Mozambican Police confirmed the death of at least 23 people due to a wave of misinformation about cholera disease in the country.

Jaime Neto, the secretary of state for Nampula province, said: “Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” adding that many children were among the dead.

The southern African country, one of the world’s poorest, has recorded almost 15,000 cases of waterborne disease and 32 deaths since October, according to government data.

Nampula is the worst affected region, accounting for a third of all cases.

In recent months, the province has also received a large influx of people fleeing a wave of jihadist attacks in its northern neighbour of Cabo Delgado.

Video of Nigerians carting away goats from trailer is three years old

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Video of Nigerians carting away goats from trailer is three years old

A video showing people carting away goats from a parked trailer has circulated online.

The video is circulating with a claim people have resulted to looting due to current economic hardship in the country.

READ : Was Ize-Iyamu arraigned in Court for allegedly ‘looting’ N700m?

In the video which has gone viral on X, some of the looters tied the animals on their motorcycles while several others dragged or carried the loot on their shoulders with others including women running away with fowls in different directions.

An X user, @joejossy_12 posted the video with a caption :

“Nigeria now, is about looting : Politicians are looting public funds, and the poor and hungry masses are looting to survive. Here, the masses are helping themselves with a trailer load of goats. How did we get here.”

The video has generated over 1000 views as of April 12, 2024.

It was also reposted by Instablog9ja with a vague caption “wait a minute” and generated over 400 reposts and more than 2500 likes as of April 12, 2024.

Another X user, @OjiUgu_nwa posted the video with a caption :

“They’ve started looting goats too, a whole trailer looted(sic).”

The video has generated over 800 reposts and more than 900 likes as of April 17.

THE CLAIM 

Video shows Nigerian looting goats in 2024.

screenshot of the viral post. The claim is MISLEADING

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show the claim is MISLEADING.

A keyword search on the internet revealed that the video has been since 2020. An earlier version of the video was posted by WonderTV on Youtube on October 22, 2020.

The video was captioned “Trailers fully loaded with goats and other livestock looted amid nationwide attacks in Nigeria.”

According to media reports, the video shows suspected hoodlums in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State who looted a trailer load of animals meant for sale.

The hoodlums who disguised as #EndSARS protesters stormed the animal market along the Benin-Asaba expressway and vandalized the truck where the animals including sheep, goats and chickens were loaded.

THE VERDICT 

The claim that the video shows recent loot of animals by people is MISLEADING as findings show that the video depicts an incident that happened in Delta state three years ago.

IFCN express concerns over Georgian legislation threatening press freedom

Blessing Amala Muonwe
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IFCN express concerns over Georgian legislation threatening press freedom

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has expressed deep concerns against the proposed legislation in the Georgian parliament that could severely restrict press freedom in the country. 

The legislation, which aims to categorise civil society and media organisations as “organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” effectively a synonym for “foreign agent” has drawn condemnation from press freedom advocates worldwide.

In a statement released on April 10, 2024, the IFCN expressed grave concerns over the potential chilling effects such legislation could have on independent journalism, particularly on the crucial work of fact-checkers, notably, FactCheck Georgia and Myth Detector, both signatories to the IFCN’s Code of Principles, are at risk of being impacted by this legislation.

Fact-checkers like FactCheck Georgia and Myth Detector voluntarily adhere to the Code of Principles, which upholds standards of transparency, independence, and methodology. This code, overseen by the IFCN, ensures that fact-checking organisations worldwide maintain integrity and credibility in their work.

The verification process for the Code of Principles involves rigorous assessment by academic or media experts familiar with the local context, followed by a vote from the IFCN advisory board. This board comprises leaders from independent fact-checking organisations globally, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation process.

FactCheck Georgia, a longstanding signatory to the Code of Principles since 2017, has faced baseless attacks questioning the integrity of its verification process. The IFCN vehemently rejects any insinuation that the process involves lobbying or undue influence.

Similarly, Myth Detector, a signatory since 2019, has undergone multiple independent assessments, further affirming its commitment to upholding journalistic standards.

The IFCN emphasizes its dedication to supporting press freedom and protecting the invaluable work of fact-checkers worldwide. FactCheck Georgia and Myth Detector, as integral members of the international fact-checking community, deserve the right to continue their essential journalism without fear of reprisal.

In light of these developments, the IFCN calls on the Georgian government to uphold its commitment to press freedom and refrain from enacting legislation that undermines independent journalism. The global community stands in solidarity with FactCheck Georgia, Myth Detector, and all journalists facing threats to their freedom to report the truth

No! Photo of Bobrisky inside detention centre is not recent

Nurudeen Akewushola
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No! Photo of Bobrisky inside detention centre is not recent

An image showing controversial cross-dresser Okuneye Idris, also known as Bobrisky, inside the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has surfaced online. 

The image is circulating alongside a claim that his masculine features have begun to surface amid his travail in the custody of the anti-graft agency.

Bobrisky was arrested on April 3 and convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday, April 5, 2024, after pleading guilty to the charges of naira abuse levelled against him by the EFCC.

READ : Video does not show ‘VeryDarkMan’ after his release from Police detention

The EFCC filed a six-count against Bobrisky, with the first four counts related to Naira abuse and the last two counts concerning alleged money laundering.

However, the EFCC prosecutor later requested from the court to dismiss counts five and six.

Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the four-count charge of Naira abuse. He, however, asked to be pardoned.

The court, however, reserved sentence until April 9 but ordered that Bobrisky be remanded in custody of the EFCC pending the sentence.

However, the case could no longer proceed following the declaration of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as public holidays by the Federal Government to mark Sallah.

An X user, @Irunnia posted the image purportedly showing Bobrisky in custody with a caption : 

“Bobrisky hairline and beard don dey show in prison. You can never cheat nature.”

The post has generated over 300 reposts and more than 1000 likes as of April 11, 2024. 

Another X user, @drpenking posted the image with a caption :

“Nigeria prison is not where anyone should go to. Guess who is in the picture.” 

The post has generated over 100 reposts and more than. 600 likes as of April 11, 2024. 

 

THE CLAIM

Photo shows the current state of Bobrisky inside EFCC custody. 

screenshot of the viral post / The claim is misleading
screenshot of the viral post / The claim is misleading

THE FINDINGS 

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING. 

When subjected to Google Reverse image search, the result shows that the image has been online since 2017 when he was first arrested. An earlier version of the image can be seen here and here. 

In November 2017, Bobrisky was arrested in Lekki, Lagos after a petition written against him by Toyin Lawani that he stole her customers.

The image was circulated online by bloggers after the incident.

THE VERDICT 

The claim that the image shows Bobrisky’s current state in the detention is MISLEADING. Findings show that the image has been online since 2017.

Did Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu remarry her late husband’s younger brother?

Blessing Amala Muonwe
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Did Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu remarry her late husband’s younger brother?

A claim that Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the wife of the late Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has married his younger brother has been trending online. 

An X account, @instablog9ja, posted the claim on Apr 6, 2024, with a caption:

“Late Ondo’s Gov. Akeredolu’s widow, Betty, ‘remarries’ his younger brother.”

The post was accompanied by screenshots of a post by Betty, the widow of Akeredolu.

The post has garnered over 1.5M views, more than 6.5K likes, over 1.1K comments, and 1.3K reposts as of April 8, 2024.

Other online blogs also shared this claim as can be seen here, and here. 

CLAIM

Late Ondo’s Governor Akeredolu’s widow, Betty, remarried his younger brother.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE. 

Contrary to the claim, the Late Ondo’s Governor Akeredolu’s widow, Betty in a series of posts on her Instagram handle, which can be found here, here, and here, explained in detail what the ceremony known as “Mgbafu Mkpe” entailed.

Further findings by The FactCheckHub, showed that the “Mgbafu Mkpe” is a traditional Igbo ceremony performed shortly after the demise and burial of a woman’s husband in Igbo land, dominant in the Owerri region of Imo state.

The family of the woman’s husband would indicate interest in still having the widow live with them or not. Upon saying yes, the in-laws would hand the widow back to the husband’s family after performing some rituals.

Should the husband’s family say no, certain rituals are also conducted to free the woman from her husband’s family

Further checks by The FactCheckHub showed that the ceremony was explained in detail in the screenshotted image written by Betty which was also attached in the post made by the claimant. 

Also, a national daily,  The Nation newspaper  provided more context about the image and explained in detail the “Mgbafu mkpe” ceremony performed for Betty by her kindred. 

THE VERDICT

The claim that the Late Ondo’s Governor Akeredolu’s widow, Betty, remarried his younger brother is FALSE; checks revealed that it was a tradition performed for widows that does not require marrying any member of the family in particular. 

False claim circulates about solar eclipse taking place in Kano, Nigeria

Blessing Amala Muonwe
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0
False claim circulates about solar eclipse taking place in Kano, Nigeria

A post showing a picture of a dark sky and alleging that the solar eclipse, which happened on April 8, also took place in Kano, Nigeria, has been circulating online.

In a post on X , @NigeriaStories posted the screenshot with a post that reads:

JUST IN: Eclipse of the Sun currently happening in Kano State, Nigeria

The post has garnered over 742,000 views, more than 1,600 reposts, about 473 comments, and over 9,300 likes as of April 9, 2024.

CLAIM

false image of an eclipse happening in kano
False claim circulates about a Solar Eclipse taking place in Kano Nigeria

The solar eclipse took place in Kano Nigeria on April 9, 2024

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), a U.S. government agency that is responsible for science and technology related to air and space, that explores and studies the universe, Earth, and aeronautics, a total solar eclipse was stipulated to occur cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada on April 8. 

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.

This finding revealed that the eclipse would only take place in the above-listed place, and Africa is not part of it.

The FactCheckHub also contacted Lukman Abdulmalik, a journalist based in Kano and he clarified that the eclipse did not occur in the state on Monday, April 8 describing what’s being circulated as fake news.

Also, a resident of Kano Musa Muhmmed a UI/UX designer was contacted in regards to sighting the kano eclipse. In his words, he stated; “that’s what I heard too. But I did not notice any difference in the weather or the sky. 

Further findings also showed that the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA),  a Nigerian government agency responsible for space exploration, research, and development did not announce there would be an eclipse in the country. The incident was also not reported by any credible media platform 

The FactCheckHub has also Factchecked a similar claim which can be found here

THE VERDICT

The claim that the solar eclipse took place in Kano Nigeria on April 8, 2024 is FALSE; scientific findings and interview with on the ground sources show that the solar eclipse did not occur in the state recently. 

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