AN image showing piles of yams engulfed in flames has been circulated on X alongside a claim that it depicts a yam market allegedly set ablaze by terrorists in Plateau State recently.
An X account, Citizen Observer (@Citizensobs), posted the image with a caption thus:
“Fulani terrorists set fire to the yam market located in the Plateau state, Nigeria. Bashir Ahmad @BashirAhmaad and @Waspapping, why is this photo not trending? Have you all seen how the so-called Arewa influencers turn a blind eye whenever the crimes of the Fulani are mentioned?”
READ THIS: No! Dutch national, Wiebe Boer did not declare for Plateau governorship race
The post has generated over 600,000 views, with more than 5,000 reposts, over 6,000 likes and more than 1,000 comments as of April 9, 2025.
CLAIM
Image shows a yam market set ablaze in Plateau State.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
The FactCheckHub understands that the claim went viral due to the recent attack on Hurti community in Plateau State, which led to the killing of over 40 people, destruction of 383 houses and displacement of over 1,000 people.
Apart from attacking Hurti, the gunmen, suspected to be armed herders, also attacked other communities like Josho and Daffo in the Manguna District of Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau.
Plateau State has a history of conflicts, often between nomadic herders and indigenous farming communities, primarily over land and resource disputes.
Our fact-checker subjected the keyframes in the image to a Google Reverse Image search, and the results show that the image depicts a fire accident that rocked the popular Namu Central Yam Market of Qu’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State in 2021.
The fire had a devastating impact on the local community, with over 100 farmers and traders affected.
ALSO READ: Two recently shared pictures, video are not from fresh xenophobic attacks
Daily Trust reported that the fire may have been caused by a spark from a grinding engine within the market, with dry grasses used to preserve yam heaps contributing to the rapid spread.
“The dry grasses used to preserve yam heaps at the market made it easy for the fire to rage quickly and spread widely. In effect, hundreds of farmers and traders were affected by the fire outbreak and are presently counting their losses,” part of the report reads.
There were no indications of terrorist involvement in this incident.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows a yam market in Plateau State set ablaze recently by terrorists is MISLEADING; the image depicts a fire accident that happened in the state in 2021 and not recent.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
