A Facebook user, Sokoto Birni has shared an image that shows the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lying down on a sickbed in a hospital.
In the image, Tinubu could be seen lying down on the bed while a doctor examined him.
The image also had a caption which was originally written in Hausa language but was translated automatically using Google Translate to read:
“To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return The strongest source that it moves but slowly.”
READ: Doctored video of Tinubu promising to reduce purchasing power resurfaces online
CLAIM
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING, as the image has been doctored.
When our fact-checker subjected the image to a Google Reverse Image Search, the results indicate that the image dates back to 2018.
The original image was taken after Sunmi Smart-Cole, a veteran Nigerian photojournalist, was discharged from a Lagos hospital following a week-long stay there.
According to The Guardian, Mr. Smart-Cole had been hospitalized for injuries sustained when some presidential security personnel allegedly manhandled him during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos State in March 29, 2018.
The same Smart-Cole’s images were shared online during the period as seen here and here.
ALSO READ: TB Joshua – Video of Tinubu criticizing BBC documentary is doctored!
In addition, our fact-checker reviewed media reports around October 11, 2024 and confirmed that President Tinubu was actually in Paris, France, on a work leave then, as reported by some media outfits including Channels TV and The Cable etc. He has made other public appearances since then.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows Tinubu on sickbed is MISLEADING; the original image shows Sunmi Smart-Cole, a veteran photojournalist on the hospital bed.
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].
