A video circulating on social media claims that a group of Nigerian men, women, and children recently attempted to cross the sea to Europe to flee their country.
The post further alleges that some individuals died before reaching the shore.
A verified X user, @PSAFLIVE shared the footage on April 12, 2026, stating:
“A group of Nigerian men, women, and children attempting to cross the sea to Europe, fleeing their country. Some died before reaching the shore, and their bodies were found there.”
As of April 13, the post has garnered over 150,000 views, 2,000 likes, and 600 reposts.
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CLAIM
The video claims that Nigerians are currently fleeing the country by boat to Europe, with some dying during the journey.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
The Factcheckhub conducted reverse image searches on keyframes in the video and the result reveals that the footage is not recent. The same video was previously shared by the Facebook page Africa Global News at least seven months ago.
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This confirms that the video has been in existence since at least late 2025 and does not represent a current event from April 2026.
The narration accompanying the video appears to have been pushed due to the prevailing climate of insecurity in Nigeria. The ICIR has reported on insecurity in Nigeria over time, and the case of banditry and terrorism at large.
Furthermore, an analysis of the audio in the video shows that the individuals are speaking French. While Nigeria is surrounded by French-speaking neighbours, French is not the official language of Nigeria, which is English.
The use of French strongly suggests that the migrants in the video are likely from a Francophone African nation rather than being a group of Nigerians, as claimed in the post.
VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Nigerians currently fleeing to Europe is MISLEADING. The video is at least seven months old, and the individuals featured are speaking French, suggesting they are not from Nigeria.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
