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Claim: A 17-year-old boy from Enugu has built a hydro-metallic bomb capable of destroying seven armoured tanks.
Verdict: False. The image belongs to an 11-year-old British-Ghanaian boy not connected to Nigeria.
Full Text
A news blog, IgboTimes Magazine, recently published a report with claims that a 17-year-old boy from Enugu State has fabricated a “Hydro Metallic Bomb” which can destroy seven armoured tanks simultaneously.
The claim has since been shared on multiple Facebook groups, including the Biafra Network News, Qua LityNews, and Aljazeera News. Attached to the post is a photograph of the alleged inventor, a red-wired device, and a bomb scene. The claim partly reads:
“Just In: Igbo boy from Enugu builds hydro metallic bomb capable of destroying seven armoured tanks at once, ten times more power than Russian MG4 missile. 17 years-old Enugu Boy’s Hydro Metallic Bomb Allegedly Possesses Unprecedented Power, Reportedly Capable of Destroying 7 Armored Tanks Simultaneously, Surpassing Russian MG4 Missile”
IgboTimes is notorious for publishing dis/mis-informative content. Therefore, considering the possibility of falsehood, DUBAWA decided to verify this claim.
Verification
DUBAWA observed that the boy’s outfit looked like a school uniform, and he was standing on a podium, addressing an unseen crowd. We subjected the image to a reverse image search, revealing a June 27, 2023, news report from where it was initially lifted.
The UK-based platform Daily Express reported the application and participation of pupils in one “Sir David Amess Children’s Parliament.” Illustrating the article, the photograph of a boy named Harry Acheampong, the Interim Children’s Parliament Prime Minister, was used as a featured image.
United Kingdom’s children’s parliament
The Children’s Parliament is a platform dedicated to “the realisation of children’s human rights” in the UK. Established in memory of David Amess, it brings together primary school children between the ages of seven and 11 from across Britain to debate pressing issues that affect children. Mr Amess was a British politician and Member of Parliament (MP) from 1997 until he died in 2021.
In 2023, an 11-year-old Ghanaian-British boy, “Harry Acheampong,” was elected the first Interim Prime Minister of this children’s parliament. And while he was about to transition into secondary school in Nov. 2023, an opportunity was open for a new young leader to emerge.
Conclusion
The image used in this narrative is neither recent nor connected with Enugu State, Nigeria. It was taken from a different context and used to fabricate an entirely different narrative. The claim is false.
