10 misleading videos recirculated in 2025

As misinformation and disinformation infiltrate everyday conversations, primarily online purveyors of fake news have devised various techniques to deceive unsuspecting members of the public with information that is not entirely true. 

The use of images and videos unrelated to the referenced incident or event has become a convenient tool for conveying false narratives, especially when verifying the context of an image or video is challenging. 

Below are ten misleading images and videos DUBAWA fact-checked in 2025;

1. Video of Nigerians scampering for food

In December 2024, Nigeria witnessed three stampedes that occurred at charity events and left 67 people dead, including children.

An Instagram user, via a now-deleted video, claimed that Nigerians were scrambling for food as hunger had become the norm. In the video, men and women were seen being chased with a belt by a police officer after they rushed to a pickup vehicle to carry some food.  

However, DUBAWA noticed that the police vehicle had an inscription, “d’Adjamé.” We conducted keyword searches on Google and found that Adjamé is located in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. 

We further contacted a local journalist about the video, and he confirmed that the clip was shot in Côte d’Ivoire. He also noted that the language used in the video is French, the country’s national language. However, he could not accurately state the exact incident that triggered the video. 

Read more here. 

2.  Video of a vehicle without a steering wheel plying the road linked to Lagos

An X user shared a video clip of a man driving a vehicle without a complete steering wheel, and claimed it occurred in one of Nigeria’s busy commercial cities, Lagos. 

The one-minute, nine-second clip shows the driver navigating the road with a clamped metal piece as a steering wheel, while the other vehicle occupants, rather amused than disturbed, cheered him on.

The X user further impressed that the action took place in Lagos. 

However, DUBAWA noticed that the vehicle was driven on the right side, meaning its steering wheel is on the right. This driving style is atypical of Nigerian driving, as cars in Nigeria have left-hand steering wheels.

We also noticed that an Instagram handle “TSHEDIKUTUMELA” was added to the video clip. We viewed the handle and saw that the owner of the Instagram account had shared a similar post. Although there was no connection to Nigeria, we noticed that he had uploaded the exact vehicle, along with another car, in a different post. 

We checked the number plates of one of the vehicles, which read “HS75TVGP,” and discovered the vehicle was registered in Gauteng Province, South Africa. 

Read more here.

3. EFCC discovered stacks of spoiled Naira notes in a container

Earlier in the year, the Central Bank of Nigeria announced new Automated Teller Machine (ATM) charges for both “on-site” and “off-site” withdrawals, resulting in higher cash withdrawal charges for Nigerians.

Some Nigerians condemned the policy, criticising the growing tax burden on the population, while others decried the country’s poor leadership.

An X user shared a video claiming that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently discovered a stash of naira notes in a container in Wadata, Benue State.  

However, DUBAWA conducted a keyframe analysis of the video and discovered that it had been online since 2022. Residents had found sacks of naira notes near Wadata Police Barracks in Benue State. The banknotes had been hidden for years.

A source at the EFCC told Punch that the sack contained condemned notes from the Central Bank of Nigeria. He further explained that the owner of the notes bought the condemned notes from EFCC, cut them into pieces, and stored them for another purpose.

The owner, Isah Suleiman, also showed a waste management license issued to him by the CBN. The police explained that the waste papers from the CBN were usually processed into mosquito repellents. 

Read more here. 

4. Patience Jonathan counselling her husband against returning to Aso Rock

As 2027 draws near, intense speculation that Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, will return to the polls to contest for president continues to spread. 

An X user shared a video clip showing the former Nigerian first lady, Patience Jonathan, questioning her husband about why he wants to return to the presidential villa and stating she was not interested in the position. 

DUBAWA conducted a Google search for “Patience,” telling her husband not to run for president and to return to the presidential villa. We found a Television Continental (TVC) broadcast related to the situation.

In the broadcast, Patience tells Nigerians that she does not want to return to the villa due to the stress that comes with the job. She also publicly asked her husband why he wanted to run, given that he had previously held the position.

DUBAWA noticed the broadcast was televised on June 28, 2024, a year before the claimant shared the claim. The clip was reshared on TikTok in June 2024 as well. A local-based radio station in Akure, Ondo State, CREST 106.1 FM, also posted Patience’s utterances on June 29, 2024.

Read more here.

5. Channels TV broadcaster, Seun Okinbaloye, promotes a crypto platform on Facebook

In 2025, several Nigerians lost millions of naira to the Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX). The digital platform withdrew N1.3 trillion from users’ wallets after an unexpected crash on Monday, April 14, 2025. 

Against that backdrop, a Facebook page shared a sponsored video featuring Seun Okinbaloye endorsing a cryptocurrency initiative during a “Politics Today” programme on Channels Television. Seun appeared to endorse Jau Crypto, a cryptocurrency initiative the Nigerian government allegedly invested in to address the country’s economic hardships.

DUBAWA analysed the keyframes from the video using Yandex and Google Reverse Image Search, and it linked us with the original video featuring Seun, which was released in July 2024.

In the original version of the video, which Channels shared via YouTube, Seun reported issues relating to the planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest and the Edo gubernatorial election.  

DUBAWA also conducted a keyword search on the headline of the report shared by the claimant, but found nothing related to it. We also used Whois to examine the website’s background and discovered that it was created on Feb. 26, 2025, and expired a year later. However, Legit.ng, the news outlet that was cloned to share the claim, existed before that date. 

Read more here.  

6. Photos of slain Brigadier-General Uba

A brigadier general in the Nigerian army, Musa Uba, was murdered by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Nigerians shared images showing scenes of his live execution.

One of the images showed a Nigerian soldier being held captive behind a pick-up van. Another showed how the same person was dragged along a grassy field before getting shot.

DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search, which linked us to a 2017 video documenting Boko Haram’s exploits. The footage shows how the group overpowered and killed Nigerian soldiers during an offensive. Among the several soldiers killed was one whose photo was now being used to represent the former brigadier general. 

The images were shared on Nairaland on Sept. 9, 2017. Read more here.

7. Fulani herders razed the biggest yam market in Jos.

Many residents in Plateau State lost their lives in a series of attacks in the state, which has left sorrow in the hearts of all and sundry. 

In a related circumstance, a Facebook user shared an image on “Ipob Community Radio” and claimed that Fulani herdsmen set fire to the largest yam market in the world, located in Plateau State. 

However, there was no available evidence to establish whether Plateau State has the largest yam market in the world. Additionally, the Facebook user did not specify the exact location in Plateau State where the incident occurred.

DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search and found that the image has been online since April 2021. The image originated from a fire at the Namu Central Yam Market in the Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Read more here.

8. Image of world leaders who died after a handshake with Ukrainian President Zelensky

Following Pope Francis’ death, an X user shared a photo collage of red-crossed images showing President Zelenskyy shaking hands with some “world leaders.” The X user claimed the leaders with whom Zelenskyy was shaking hands in the photo were now dead after meeting with him  

DUBAWA conducted an extensive Google Reverse Image Search to identify the individuals featured in the photo collage. The results revealed the identities of some persons, while a few others remained unidentifiable.

In the photo collage was Pope Francis, South Korean president, Yoon Suk, former prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, former United States president, Joe Biden, Turkiye’s president, Recep Tayyip, former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, former Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, former United States vice president, Kamala Harris, and former United Kindom’s prime ministers, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. 

DUBAWA carried out an extensive keyword search on each of the individuals alleged to have died following their meeting with the president of Ukraine. Our findings indicate that only Pope Francis and Shinzo Abe are dead.

Read more here.

9. Image of El-Rufai in church as part of the 2027 presidential aspiration campaign

A Facebook user posted a picture of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, flanked by people at a gathering and claimed that the former Kaduna State governor was appeasing the Christian community, which he had previously resented.

DUBAWA conducted a reverse image search and discovered that El-Rufai had posted the picture on his X account on May 1, 2025. He shared that he joined the Anohu family at a funeral mass.

Also, reputable media reports confirm it was a burial mass. Read more here. 

10.  Apprehended terrorist linked to Benue State

On Nov. 11, 2025, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), a joint military effort targeting terrorists in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States, raided a terrorist’s hideout in Benue State and killed one. They also recovered guns and ammunition.

Against this backdrop, an X user, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, shared an image of arrested masked individuals and claimed that they are apprehended terrorists after a raid in Benue State. 

DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search, and we discovered similar images shared on Facebook in February 2025. 

The Facebook posts inform that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke invaded a notorious terrorist camp in Angwan Bala community, Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State. Furthermore, the reports mentioned that the terrorists, who are initially from Plateau State, paid the district chief of Amar village in Karim-Lamido LGA N1.5 million for them to camp in the area.

News outlets such as Vanguard, Channels Television, The Guardian, and Zagazola reported a similar development. Read more here.