IMAGES showing three children seated in front of plates of food have been shared online with claims they depict Nigerian children hospitalised after eating ewedu and amala, a popular Yoruba delicacy.
The photos, widely circulated on X, were posted on August 2, 2025, by a user identified as “Mike Ejeagha,” who claimed:
“BREAKING NEWS!!! 3 children hospitalised, after Eating Yariba Ewedu and Amala. Investigation Ongoing (sic).”
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The post, used “Yariba”, a derogatory term for Yorubas and has been shared more than 500 times.
Ewedu is a soup made from jute leaves, while amala is a yam-flour-based dish often eaten with soups and stews, especially in Nigeria’s South West.
CLAIM
The photos show Nigerian children hospitalised after eating Ewedu and Amala.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search using Google Lens traced the images to a YouTube Short posted on August 1, 2025, by Lagos-based content creator Adejoke Adekoya.
The full three-minute video shows Adekoya serving three children, identified as her own, amala and okro soup at home. There is no sign of illness or hospitalisation in the video.
In the clip, the children express mild displeasure as their mother serves the meal, prompting her to joke that they should “lick the plate” because of its sweetness. Hashtags such as #amala, #nigerianfood, and #momlife indicate the video is personal lifestyle content.
On her channel, Adekoya states that the channel is dedicated to sharing her “daily lifestyle, fashion, mum life, family time and hair care.”
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A review of Adekoya’s channel reveals numerous similar family videos, including several uploaded after this one. There is no evidence linking the children to any food poisoning incident.
Further checks on the channel show she has posted many other lifestyle videos featuring her children, including several uploaded after this one.
Context:
The FactCheckHub has previously documented ethnic fault lines on X, where misinformation exploiting these divisions has spread widely. Such content as seen here, here and here often misrepresents outdated events to inflame ethnic sentiments.
Such misinformation trends were previously projected to impact Nigeria’s information ecosystem in 2025.
This claim fits this pattern: it misrepresents content created for entertainment on YouTube and frames it within a false ethnic narrative.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the photos show Nigerian children hospitalised after eating Ewedu and Amala is MISLEADING. The images were taken from a family video posted online by the children’s mother and have no connection to any food poisoning incident.
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.
