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Claim: An X user posted a video claiming that it shows Igbos recently attacking the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, Senegal.
Verdict: Misleading! The video is not recent and does not exclusively depict Igbos attacking the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. It is an 11-year-old video of a March 2013 protest unrelated to current events.
Full Text
Recently, there has been an increase in ethnic tensions on social media, particularly between members of the Igbo ethnic group and their Yoruba counterparts in Nigeria. This divide has been fueled by ethnic-motivated posts/opinions on platforms like X, as seen here, here, and here.
The Igbo are one of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups. They are predominantly located in Southeastern Nigeria, with significant populations in the South-South, while the Yoruba are predominantly located in the southwestern part of the country.
The tension was further heightened when a video surfaced on X.com on August 27, 2024, in which a woman, during a TikTok virtual meeting, made inflammatory remarks against the Yoruba and Benin people. Speaking in Pidgin English, she threatened to poison them, saying:
“Record me very well; it’s time to start poisoning the Yoruba and the Benin. Put poison for all una food for work. Put poison for una water, make una dey kpai one by one.”
She claimed her comments were in response to perceived “hate” against the Igbo. The video, containing other voices that interjected and encouraged her, quickly went viral.
In response, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, identified the woman as Amaka Patience Sunnberger.
Amid the escalating ethnic divide, another video began circulating, purportedly showing a recent riot by Nigerians of Igbo extraction attacking the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, Senegal. The video depicts dozens of individuals vandalising cars, office equipment, and fittings and desecrating the Nigerian flag, reportedly within the premises of the Nigerian embassy in Dakar.
The video, which bore the watermark, “Wild crowd of Ibo Biafrans attacked Nigerian embassy in Dakar Senegal, beat officials, loot, vandalised properties and torn the Nigerian flag,” was widely shared on X.
For example, Ridwan Ajetunmobi (@Riddwane), a Senior Special Assistant on Media to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, posted the video with the caption: “It’s a ‘regular trademark.’” His post quickly gained traction, garnering over 100 reposts, 22,000 views, and 200 likes as of August 28, 2024.
Another X user, @NoNonsensezone, shared the same video, captioning it: “Trending Video: A trending video circulating social media shows men from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria attacking an Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, looting and Vandalising Properties. This Madness.”
This post received over 41,000 views, 200 reposts, and 336 likes by the same date.
Verification
DUBAWA’s findings reveal that the claim is misleading because the video in question is not recent. A reverse image search of keyframes from the video indicates that the footage dates back to March 2013, not 2024, as the X posts suggest.
In a close assessment of the video, some protesters could be heard speaking Igbo, “Iwe, iwe, iwe!” (Anger, anger, anger!),” “o zuola! (It’s enough!),” but this does not exclusively show individuals from the Igbo ethnic group nor support the claim that the attack was carried out by Igbos alone.
Using a keyword search, DUBAWA found reports from credible media platforms (here, here) that the video depicts an attack on the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, which occurred over 11 years ago. Channels TV reported on this incident on March 8, 2013, noting that the issue was even discussed by lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
DUBAWA gathered that the protest at the embassy was triggered by the disappearance of a Nigerian citizen’s body from a hospital morgue in Senegal. Aggrieved Nigerians, who had expected to retrieve the body, discovered that it had been disposed of without informing the Nigerian community in Dakar. This led to the vandalism seen in the video.
There is no evidence to support the claim that the attack was carried out by Igbos alone. The video is being recirculated with a misleading narrative intended to inflame ethnic tensions in Nigeria. Additionally, there have been no credible reports of any recent unrest or riots in Dakar, Senegal.
This is not the first instance of a video being used to incite ethnic tensions on X. Recently, DUBAWA debunked a video falsely claimed to show a recent attack by ‘IPOB terrorists’ in Nimbo Community, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State. That video was not recent and depicted an attack in Benue State in March 2024, not Enugu.
Conclusion
The video allegedly showing Igbos attacking the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, is from March 2013, not a recent event. The claim is misleading, and the video is being misused to inflame ethnic tensions between Igbos and other Nigerian ethnic groups.
The researcher produced this fact-check as part of the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship in partnership with Bridge Radio 98.7FM, Asaba, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
