A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, has posted a footage showing flooded residential areas alongside a claim that the flood happened in Italy.
Igbokwe, who is also the Special Adviser on Environment and Water Resources to the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the post on his Facebook page on July 17, 2024.
READ: Video does not show flooding in Austria
In the 64-second footage, properties could be seen being damaged by the purported flood that overwhelmed different parts of a city, as screams rented the air in the video.
The footage also has an inscription that read: Italy was flooded today.
The caption accompanying the Facebook post stated thus: Flood in Italy.
Recall that heavy rainfall in Nigeria has been characterised with flooding particularly in Lagos State which have sparked criticisms from netizens while some supporters of the state government argued that the situation is a natural disaster which occurs everywhere in the world regardless of the government’s efforts.
The video post has since gone viral and is drawing criticisms, hence the need to verify its accuracy.
CLAIM
Video shows flooding in Italy.
THE FINDINGSÂ
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
When screenshots of the video was subjected to a Google Lens search on mobile device, it showed search results relating to a mudslide that happened in Japan.
A video compilation posted on YouTube on July 3, 2021 by a Japanese newspaper, Sankei News, have similar visuals as the one posted by Igbokwe.
Further findings showed that the footage was from a mudslide that happened in Japan in 2021. A keyword search on the words “mudslide in Japan” led our fact-checker to another version of the video posted on YouTube by multiple credible news organisations including CBS Evening News, Guardian News and The Sun as seen here, here, and here etc.
The New York Times also reported on Saturday, July 3, 2021, that there was a mudslide triggered by heavy rainfall as 19 people went missing in Atami, a resort town approximately 60 miles southwest of Tokyo, according to Japanese officials.
The mudslide washed away homes and left roads covered in debris. In response, police, fire, and military personnel initiated search-and-rescue operations in Atami, the coastal town affected.
Also, the video has been used out of context multiple times to depict flooding in some countries around the world such as Libya, India and an earthquake that happened in Japan earlier this year.
DONT MISS THIS: Viral images of football pitch submerged by flood not of Lekan Salami but Hillsborough
Moreover, The FactCheckhub recently debunked a flood related claim that had reportedly taken place in Austria.
It will be recalled that this is not the first time Igbokwe would be seen spreading false information online as The FactCheckHub and other fact-checking and media platforms in the country have debunked his claims multiple times as seen here, here ,here and here.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Joe Igbokwe that the video shows flooding in Italy is MISLEADING; the footage is from a mudslide event in Japan that happened in 2021.
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].
