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Video does not show prisoners being deported to Southern Africa

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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screenshot of the viral post

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AN X user, @dipoaina1, has posted a video showing several handcuffed men alighting from an aeroplane, claiming it shows prisoners being deported to Southern Africa by the United States government. 

He referenced the U.S. president Donald Trump and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, to suggest the deportation was tied to U.S. policy affecting African countries.

He posted the video with a caption: “Donald Trump America government is now deporting notorious prisoners to the Southern Africa. Our Foreign Minister Tuggar was right.”

The video has generated over 70,000 views, 100 reposts, and more than 200 likes as of July 21, 2025.

CLAIM

Video shows prisoners deported by the U.S. to Southern Africa.

screenshot of the viral post

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

The FactCheckHub traced the source of the video to a TikTok post by Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador.

El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated of the seven Central American countries. Despite having little level land, it was traditionally an agricultural country, heavily dependent upon coffee exports. 

According to Bukele, the men in the footage were Venezuelan nationals detained in the country for being members of a criminal gang known as Tren de Aragua. 

They were deported as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with the Venezuelan government.

Bukele explained that the operation resulted from months of negotiations and also involved the release of Venezuelan political prisoners and American hostages held in Venezuela. The individuals in the video were in transit through El Salvador and were being returned to Venezuela, not Southern Africa.

There is no publicly available evidence linking the deportees to Africa or suggesting any involvement of Nigeria or its officials.

VERDICT

The claim that the video shows prisoners being deported by the U.S. to Southern Africa is MISLEADING, as findings showed the individuals were Venezuelan nationals involved in a prisoner exchange and had no connection to Africa.

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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.

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