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Claim: An X user claims Ibrahim Babangida urged the Federal Government to arrest citizens seeking a national divide.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA found no proof that Mr Babangida called for the arrest of #IgboMustGo advocates. His spokesperson also debunked this.
Full Text
Recently, a social media campaign for the forced relocation of Igbo people from Lagos and other states in the southwest region of Nigeria emerged on social media platforms, especially X.
The trolling, using the #IgboMustGo hashtag, recently gained widespread traction following the perceived support of Igbo people for the just-concluded nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
On Aug. 2, 2024, an X user claimed former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, told the Tinubu-led government to arrest the people spearheading the #IgboMustGo movement.
The caption on the post reads, “The disrespect and hatred of the IGBO community should not be encouraged nor tolerated by any geographical region or zone.
“As Nigerians, we should embrace living in love, peace, unity, and harmony. I urge the federal government to arrest those behind the #IgboMustGo trend on X.”
As of Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, the post has amassed about 264,000 views, 3,750 likes, 1,249 reposts, 77 quotes, and 84 bookmarks.
Due to the enormous engagement the post generated, DUBAWA decided to verify the post’s credibility.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to determine whether the statement originally emanated from Mr Babangida but found no supporting information.
Probing further, we checked for the official X handle of the ex-military head of state but found no handle officially controlled by Babangida.
DUBAWA then scrutinised the X user’s account and discovered it was a parody account.
“Not fmr, Military Head of State, the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1985-1993…,” parts of his profile read.
DUBAWA checked for credible news outlets that may have reported the former head of state’s alleged comments but found none.
Finally, we contacted Mr Babangida’s official spokesperson, Kassim Afegbua, about the comments. He told DUBAWA to disregard anything perceived as a representation of Mr Babangida online.
He said, “Disregard anything linked to General IBB on X or any social media handles. It is misleading, misinformation, disinformation, and a deliberate ploy by mischief makers to accord him what he did not say. He doesn’t have any X handle, Facebook or Instagram.”
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s investigation indicates no substantial evidence that the claimant’s post originated from Mr Babangida.
