Claim: Pictures making rounds on WhatsApp depict an acclaimed attack and destruction of the Fulani herdsmen’s settlement in Yewa, Ogun State.
Pictures making rounds on WhatsApp that depicted attacks of Fulani settlements in Yewa, Ogun State are false. The image analysis conducted shows the images were dated and unrelated to the presented narrative.
Full text
One major discourse making headlines In the Nigerian social sphere is the long-standing dispute existing between Fulani Herdsmen and farmers around the country. One headline reads “Ekiti warns herdsmen, farmers against acts inimical to peace,” another one says “14 feared killed by Fulani herdsmen in Delta community.” Even more, a rising avalanche of concerns as regards attacks on communities, kidnappings, and killings in most parts of Nigeria is now widely referenced to the Fulani herdsmen.
Furthermore, when the Governor of Ondo, Rotimi Akeredolu gave a seven-day ultimatum for Fulani herdsmen to vacate his state, the news generated heated controversy, especially when Sunday Igboho, a pro-Yoruba activist launched a campaign to chase out herdsmen from the southwestern states. As a result, surging narratives have been erupting depicting issues that relate to Mr. Sunday’s campaign. A typical example is some pictures going rounds on WhatsApp. The pictures claim to depict Fulani settlement in Yewa, Ogun State (Southwestern Nigeria) attacked and destroyed presumably by Sunday Igboho.
Shared so many times on WhatsApp, these pictures are capable of inspiring unrest and painting the wrong narrative, especially if false. It is as a result of these realities that DUBAWA subjects this claim to analysis to uncover the truth and share the factual narrative.
Verification
When DUBAWA conducted a Yandex reverse image search on the first image depicting a man amidst what appears to be dead cattles, it revealed that the image first appeared in a Wikipedia article about “Global warming affecting global agriculture and food security.” Apparently, it was taken out of context to now depict a false narrative about attacks on Fulani herdsmen in Yewa, Ogun state.
Consequently, the second picture depicting a man amidst ruins and what appears to be dead bodies laid on the ground was in reality a picture of a reported attack carried out by herdsmen in Adamawa. The picture was shared on December 5th, 2017 in tori. ng as a news report with the headline “Dead bodies everywhere: Fulani Herdsmen Attack Adamawa, Kill Many” .
The third picture, depicting a village under a blazing fire, first appeared on dailynigerian.com as a news report headlined “Police vow to arrest suspected arsonists in Ebonyi community”. The news story which featured the picture was shared on February 3rd, 2021 as regards the fire that destroyed herders’ houses in Oshibo community, Ebonyi Local Government Area.
Conclusion
Pictures used to depict attacks on Fulani herdsmen in Yewa, Ogun State are unrelated to the actual event. They are swiveled out of different contexts to fertilise the already looming narrative about attacks on Fulani herdsmen in western Nigeria. This claim is false.
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