A video showing five unidentified men attacking motorists on a road has surfaced on social media with a claim that it depicts a robbery incident in Abuja.
The video has been shared by multiple users on social media, especially on Facebook and WhatsApp.
A Facebook user, Sharon Ogbomwen posted the video with a caption that read:
“This happened at a traffic light somewhere in Abuja…”
The video has generated 800 reposts and more than 300 likes as of April 8, 2024.
READ: Video does NOT show unknown gunmen chasing policemen in Abuja
Another Facebook user, Akande Isaac Douroujaye posted also posted the same video with another caption thus:
“The frightening moment thugs waylaid folks waiting for traffic light to turn green in Abuja. Let d govt know dat l will rather disobey d traffic lights at night, than expose myself to risks like these!!!”
The claim has also surfaced here and here.
CLAIM
Video shows a robbery scene in Abuja.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been facing the challenge of growing cases of robbery and other forms of criminality.
Our researcher subjected the keyframes in the video to a Google reverse image search. The result shows that the video has been online since 2022 and it involves an incident that happened in Botswana.
An earlier and longer version of the video was published by this Botswanan YouTube channel, Mmegi Online, published on February 15, 2022 with a caption that read: “Thugs in Gaborone attack motorists.”
A keyword search on the internet following the hint revealed that Botswana’s health minister, Edwin Dikoloti, was among those whose cars were targeted by the thieves, the Botswanan Police confirmed.
The incident reportedly occurred around 8pm on February 12, 2022 near Total Filling Station in Broadhurst, Botswana.
The local police confirmed that the minister was using his personal Mercedes Benz car when the miscreants attacked him.
“The three men pounced on him, broke the driver’s window and scratched him with a sharp object on his hands and leg and escaped the crime scene. Luckily they did not steal anything from him but investigations into the matter are ongoing to locate and arrest the suspects. The minister was treated for minor injuries and was released the same evening,” the police statement reads.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows a robbery scene in Abuja is MISLEADING; findings show that the incident happened in Botswana since 2022.
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 [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
