Some false claims don dey go round on social media as anti-goment protest for Nigeria enta second day.
Di protests wey dem tag #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria wey dey hapun for several cities at di same time dey mainly organised on social media as many Nigerians, wey dey face historically high food inflation and fuel prices, enta streets to support di campaign.
Di lie-lie narratives dey come from both di pro and anti protest camps and e range from false “proofs” say na one popular politician be di sponsor of di protest to claims say fotos of arrested looters na from 2011.
Fotos from 2011?
Nigerian activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore bin share one tweet wey accuse di Nigerian goment say dem dey “blackball Nigerians into submission”. E bin claim say current fotos of di protests wey dem dey share online, in reality na old images.
Im tweet contain screenshot of one Facebook post from di police tok-tok pesin for di northern city of Kano for 2011. Di post e bin share get fotos of looters.
But di BBC Global Disinformation Team find out say di screenshot from Sowore na false, and say di fotos wey police tok-tok pesin share indeed na from di current protests.
Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, di Kano State police tok-tok pesin, bin share some fotos of looters wey police arrest on di first day of di protest for Kano on im verified Facebook page wit 275,000 followers.
Oga Sowore tweet bin claim say di fotos dey old and don dey posted by di same tok-tok pesin for 2011.
No post like dat for Oga Kiyawa Facebook page for 2011.
The @officialABAT regime already planned how to blackball Nigerians into submission even before this non-violent social change action(s) started; this was posted by the Kano State @PoliceNG PPRO on Facebook today. He was caught pants down because the same office had posted the… pic.twitter.com/8yKyniSJoR
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) August 1, 2024
In fact, checks by di BBC Global Disinformation Team show say di looted items match items wey dey seen wit dozens of looters for fotos wey BBC journalist bin take during di protest for Kano.
Additionally, Oga Kiyawa bin show for one of di fotos wit some of di arrested suspected looters wey bin show for di collage wey Sowore share. Kiyawa only become tok-tok pesin for 2019, dis one mean say di fotos no fit be from 2011.
Di camouflage uniform wey Kiyawa and oda police officers wear inside di fotos dey issued to di Nigerian police for 2012.
No way e fit don dey wear am for 2011, e further add proof to di fact say oga Sowore post dey false.
Di Kano State Police Command bin also release one statement to debunk Sowore claims alongside similar fotos of di suspected looters on dia official Facebook page.
Di statement tok say di “foto wey show suspects and exhibits dey linked to di current incidents wey result from di ongoing August, 2024 Nationwide Protest and no relate wit any incident in di year 2011.”
PRESS CONFERENCE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, KANO STATE COMMAND, CP SALMAN DOGO GARBA BY SP ABDULLAHI…
Posted by Kano State Police Command on Friday, August 2, 2024
Peter Obi organise and sponsor protests
Anoda false claim wey bin trend on social media allege say opposition leader and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi bin sponsor and dey lead di protests.
Di BBC Global Disinformation Team no fit find any evidence to support di claim say oga Obi sponsor di protests.
One video wey show oga Obi dey speak to one crowd alongside Labour Party Senator Ireti Kingibe bin dey shared on social media wit captions wey allege say di two politicians dey mobilise and feed di protesters.
I am shocked and outraged by the blatant lies and misinformation being spread by mischief-makers! The video being circulated is from over six weeks ago, during a Labour Party NWC meeting, when the NLC was protesting outside the Labour Party office. As stakeholders, including… pic.twitter.com/tQfJBZ19OO
— Sen. Ireti Kingibe (@IretiKingibe) August 2, 2024
Both Oga Obi and Senator Kingibe don deny say dem get hand for di protests.
E no also get foto evidence to say di lawmaker bin provide food to protesters.
For one tweet, Senator Kingibe bin tok say di video na from one meeting wit Nigeria labour unions weeks ago wen di unions bin storm di headquarters of di Labour Party for Abuja.
BBC bin find videos from 25 June 2024 wey support Mrs Kingibe claims
Di videos wey many Nigerian media outlets bin post show di same setting from di video of Obi and Senator Kingibe. Both politicians dey wear di same outfits and di same buildings dey visible inside di videos.
Dem bin take di videos for di Labour Party headquarters for Abuja during one widely reported mediation meeting between di politicians and leaders of di Labour Party and Nigerian Labour Congress.
Similar to dis, dem deliberately edit two separate videos of Peter Obi and take am out of context to push di false narrative say e call for protest against di goment and declare war. Na Reno Omokri, former aide to former president Goodluck Jonathan bin share those ones .
Two people incited this protest that has now turned bloody and destructive. Omoyele Sowore and Peter Obi. No amount of blackmail by Peter Obi is going to intimidate me. Peter Obi promoted this protest. He also called for a declaration of war just days before the protest. It is… pic.twitter.com/rfGIt976TH
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) August 2, 2024
Although inside di video Oga Obi bin support di right of di pipo to protest, no evidence to show say e sponsor or organise one protest.
However, some of im known supporters on social media be active supporters and organisers of di #EndbadGovernance protest.
Inside one tweet, Peter Obi bin clarify say e dey declare war on “economic stagnation, insecurity, and corruption” during one keynote speech for Anambra state.
