A claim that the State Security Services (SSS) have taken over the National Assembly to impeach the sitting senate president, Godswill Akpabio has surfaced the internet.
The claim which was contained in a Facebook post by a user on the app, Nweke Chidi stated that there was tension at the National Assembly due to an ongoing plot to impeach Godswill Akpabio.
Alongside the claim, there was an image of men wearing black attire with a camouflage jacket or bulletproof vests while holding guns.
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The caption of the post read:
CLAIM
Image shows SSS taking over national assembly to impeach Godswill Akpabio.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub indicates that the claim is MISLEADING!
When a Google reverse image was conducted on the image it provided earlier versions of the image that has been on the internet.
The image was featured on a Facebook post in 2021 and it was also featured in a blog post about SSS officials blocking the entrance to the National Assembly, reportedly due to a plan to impeach then-Senate President Bukola Saraki.
A keyword search on the words “Saraki SSS Impeach National Assembly” provided search results of news reports regarding the issue.
Several media outlets, including Premium Times, The Punch, and The Cable, reported that State Security Service (SSS) officers had blockaded the national assembly, preventing lawmakers and staff from entering the premises.
Some lawmakers had suggested the security lockdown was intended to support senators aligned with the former President Muhammadu Buhari in a bid to impeach the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.
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Further findings showed that the claim had been dismissed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
He had assured lawmakers that claims circulating on social media about the SSS surrounding the assembly to block a potential impeachment of principal officers were false.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows SSS taking over national assembly to impeach Akpabio is misleading; the image have been on the internet as far back as 2018.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
