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Claim: An X user, Biafra_Daily Mirror (@biafra_daily), claimed that Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, relocated from his newly renovated ₦21 billion official residence to his private home after discovering surveillance cameras allegedly installed without his knowledge.
Verdict: Misleading. There is no evidence that Vice President Shettima ever moved into the newly renovated official residence, let alone that he relocated due to secret CCTV installations. Available reports confirm that he had not occupied the building, and no credible source has verified the claim circulating.
Full Text
In the lead-up to the 2027 general elections, speculation has grown regarding the future political alignment of President Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima.
While APC governors have endorsed Tinubu as their preferred candidate, the absence of Shettima’s name in these declarations has stirred arguments that he may or may not be dropped as a running mate.
These concerns were further amplified when the APC North-East stakeholders’ summit turned chaotic after the party’s regional vice chairman, Mustapha Salihu, declared Tinubu the party’s sole candidate for re-election, without mentioning Shettima.
As political tension builds, an X user, Biafra_Daily Mirror (@biafra_daily), on June 20, 2025, posted a photo (archived here) of Vice President Shettima with the newly commissioned official residence in the background. The image featured the Channels Television logo. The post’s caption claimed that Shettima had “moved to his residence after finding out CCTV was installed without his knowledge.”
The post caption read, “They are betraying themselves.”
As of June 20, 2025, the post had attracted over 200,000 views, nearly 2,000 likes, hundreds of shares, and various comments, some supporting the claim, others casting doubt, and many expressing outrage over an estimated ₦21 billion project cost.
Olufemi Ayodele (@phemidawhiz) wrote, “Why are they monitoring a whole vice president’s next moves?”.
Mohammed (@Jammil_Naxx) wrote, “This is a welcome development.”
Flow (@FrankNwadi5) wrote, “21 bill gone and buried, sorry Nigeria.”
Erika (@Smarterikana) wrote, “Spreading fake information is really bad for this liberation movement.”
The same claim was shared here and circulated widely across TikTok and Facebook. A TikTok user, @tamarapreyenews, posted the claim (archived here), amassing over 4,900 likes, 474 shares, and 750 comments.
Given the politically sensitive nature of the claim and the viral reactions it sparked, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA conducted keyword searches using phrases such as “Shettima CCTV surveillance residence,” “VP Shettima moves out of residence,” and “Vice President’s bugged house.”
We found no credible local or international news platform that published a report corroborating the claim that the Vice President discovered unauthorised CCTV installations or that he relocated because of them. This includes Channels TV, whose logo is in the claim’s image.
To further investigate the image used in the viral post, DUBAWA performed a reverse image search. We traced the image back to a broadcast aired by Channels Television on June 7, 2024, which covered the commissioning of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s newly completed official residence in Abuja. Other reputable media outlets reported the same event, including AIT, The Guardian, and Premium Times.
Historically, Nigeria’s vice presidents have resided in Akinola Aguda House, located within the Presidential Complex at the Three Arms Zone in Abuja. In 2010, however, the federal government initiated the construction of a more befitting and purpose-built official residence for the Vice President. Initially awarded ₦7 billion, the project suffered delays, abandonment, and scrutiny due to inflated costs. According to credible reports by Premium Times and BusinessDay, the contract was eventually revised to ₦21–₦22 billion by 2024.
The building was finally completed and commissioned on June 7, 2024. It was widely expected that Vice President Shettima would move in soon after the commissioning. However, as of February 2025, reports indicated that the residence remained unoccupied, raising questions and sparking online speculation.
Notably, this isn’t the first time such claims have surfaced. In March 2025, a Facebook user, Idris Ahmed, alleged that the Vice President deliberately avoided moving into the newly constructed mansion due to fears that the building’s security and communication infrastructure had been compromised or allegedly “bugged” to monitor his activities.
The current viral claim builds on this narrative. Still, it shifts the focus to the alleged discovery of secret CCTV cameras, suggesting that Shettima had initially moved into the building but later relocated to a private residence in response to this discovery.
However, DUBAWA’s investigation found no credible evidence to support this.
Contrary to the viral claim, a February 2025 report by Daily Trust stated that the delay in occupying the residence was not due to hidden surveillance devices, but rather to ongoing security concerns and the residence’s relatively isolated location.
Further keyword searches on the verified X handle of the Vice President’s spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, showed no official announcements or press releases acknowledging a relocation or confirming any alleged discovery of unauthorised surveillance installations.
DUBAWA also profiled the X account (@biafra_daily) that shared the claim. Our findings reveal that the account is associated with Biafran separatist sentiments and has consistently posted anti-government narratives that undermine Nigeria’s security institutions and national unity. Its content history indicates a strong bias and repeated attempts to spread politically and ethnically divisive misinformation.
Notably, DUBAWA had cited one of @biafra_daily’s previous posts targeting national institutions as contributing to the escalation of public fear and misinformation in an already volatile region.
This pattern of disinformation raises red flags regarding the authenticity and intent of the claim in question.
Conclusion
The claim that Vice President Shettima relocated from the ₦21 billion official residence after discovering a secretly installed CCTV is misleading. Available evidence confirms he has not yet occupied the residence since its commissioning in June 2024. Moreover, no verified reports or official communications support the narrative of unauthorised surveillance or relocation.
