A POST circulating on social media claims that a photograph depicting a man arriving in Lagos from Paris does not show president Bola Tinubu, but rather an individual named “Nkoyo Nazebi” from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The post, shared by a verified X user @EleluAyoola on 30 September 2026, features a close-up photograph of a man wearing a dark patterned kaftan, dark round sunglasses, and a branded native cap.
The caption reads:
“I have examined the picture closely. That man that landed in Lagos from Paris last night is not President Tinubu, that’s Nkoyo Nazebi from Congo DR.”
As of 1 October 2026, the post has garnered over 39,000 views, 700 likes and more than 200 comments.
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CLAIM
Post claims that the man pictured arriving at the Lagos airport from Paris is not president Bola Tinubu, but a Congolese national named “Nkoyo Nazebi”.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is UNPROVEN.
Searches across public registries, international news databases, and reverse image search done by The FactCheckHub revealed that the name “Nkoyo Nazebi” belongs to no known public figure, political official, or real person.
A forensic visual analysis of the image in question shows several noticeable physical discrepancies when compared to official video footage of Tinubu’s actual arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on 29 September 2026. Official news footage recorded during the arrival shows Tinubu wearing a plain kaftan without front buttons, while the kaftan worn by the man in the viral photograph has visible metallic buttons along the chest.
Furthermore, the individual in the viral picture is wearing dark-tinted sunglasses, which does not match public appearance records or video of the president or any images of him at all.
While automated AI-detection tools returned inconclusive or real-image scores for the photo, the visual inconsistencies and physical differences between the subject in the photo and president Tinubu’s live appearance at the airport leave the authenticity and exact source of the image unverified.
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Because the entity Nkoyo Nazebi does not exist and the origin of the manipulated or enhanced photo cannot be independently verified against official records of the Tinubu’s return, the claim cannot be substantiated.
VERDICT
The claim that the viral photograph shows a Congolese national named “Nkoyo Nazebi” instead of president Bola Tinubu is UNPROVEN. The referenced name belongs to no real person, and the photo contains visual inconsistencies that do not match official footage of the president’s arrival in Lagos State.
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
