Claim: A Facebook user, @Moses Darah, announced that Yoruba governors ordered the closure of boundaries to stop northern Muslims from entering the region during “Trump’s war.”
Verdict: False. None of the Southwest governors announced or enforced such an order, and there is no available evidence to back the claim.
Full Text
On Nov. 1, 2025, Donald Trump warned that the United States might take military action in Nigeria if the government did not stop the violence against Christians. He said the military could go in “guns‑a‑blazing” if the situation did not improve. The statement followed pressure from U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups concerned about the safety of Nigerian communities. The comment immediately drew attention in Nigeria, sparking discussions and concern across social media and everyday life.
In relation to this, a Facebook user @Moses Darah claimed that Yoruba Governors have locked their boundaries to prevent muslims from entering during Trump’s war.
The post, which was shared in a group named @Nigeria News–Headlines Today, had a picture of six governors from the South-West region: Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo).
It was also accompanied by a caption that reads,
“In a shocking move, Yoruba governors have ordered the immediate closure of all borders (boundaries) linking the Southwest to Northern Nigeria. The decision, according to insiders, is to prevent suspected Muslim fighters from the North from invading Yoruba land during the alleged U.S. invasion plan led by President Trump.”
The user went on to claim that security reports showed northern extremists were already mobilising to infiltrate the South, which supposedly prompted the governors to act quickly.
A section of the post quoted one of the governors as saying, “We won’t allow anyone to use this moment of global confusion to invade our land. The Yoruba nation must protect itself; this is not about religion, it’s about survival.”
The post also stated that troops and local vigilantes had been deployed to key entry points, including Kwara, Kogi, and parts of Ondo, to enforce the boundary closure.
As of Nov. 6, 2025, the post had gathered 70 likes, 58 comments, and 50 shares. We also found that the same claim was shared by iNews, a page that recently disseminated a false narrative about a statement attributed to Donald Trump.
From the comments section, Facebook user @Joe Joe wrote, “These are sensible governors. Governors from the Southeast and South-South will only be planning on how to defect from one party to another rather than secure lands for their people.”
@C.I Bello, predicting a possible response, replied, “If you close the border (boundary), they will use vehicles to enter at midnight, when all the governors are asleep.”
Another user, @Adebola Monsuru, who disagreed with the post, commented, “It’s a lie. Yorubas are good hosts. We welcome people, especially those from the north, to our land. We cohabit well with them. You cannot separate us with your nonsense IPOB agenda.”
@Abdulhakeem Popoola also added, “This is fake news. They are not in Nigeria. The person posting this has to be a Biafran.”
Considering the nature of the claim and its likelihood to cause further chaos online and spread even wider, we decided to ascertain the claim’s accuracy.
Verification
DUBAWA began by searching for possible official statements from the six Southwest states, as well as credible reports, to determine if there was any evidence supporting the claim; however, we found none.
There is no official communication or reputable media report confirming that the governors ordered boundary closure targeting Northern Muslims.
The post also mentions states such as Kwara and Kogi, in the North-Central region, which are not under the jurisdiction of the Southwest governors. The only recorded boundary closures by the Southwest governors were carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic for public health reasons, and these had no connection to religion, ethnicity, or any alleged foreign invasion.
DUBAWA contacted the Osun State Government through its media aide, Olawale Rasheed, who is also the aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, and he dismissed the claim.
“Kindly disregard that information. These are just attention seekers trying to cause violence when there isn’t any reason for one,” he said.
We also contacted the Lagos State Government through the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, who described the claim as baseless.
“Nigeria is in the heat of the moment, and there are bound to be stories flying here and there. This information is outrageous, and nothing of that sort has happened or will happen. Lagos State and the other states mentioned have more important issues to focus on, like keeping the state secure and maintaining peace among residents,” he explained.
Lastly, we searched for statements, evidence of troop deployments, or quotes from governors supporting the Facebook post, but we were unable to verify any.
It is also important to note that there are no borders within a country, as claimed, but boundaries.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that Southwest governors ordered any boundary closure targeting northern Muslims. The claim is false.