|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: An X user posted a video claiming that an armed robbery attack took place on July 27, 2024, in Surulere, Lagos State. He further insinuated that the recency of the event could make propagandists link the video to the planned nationwide protest.
Verdict: The claim is misleading. The video is from the 2020 EndSARS protests and is unrelated to recent events or the planned nationwide protest.
Full Text
As Nigeria braces for a planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest to address rising living costs and economic hardship, major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Kano have been on high alert. Various groups and stakeholders have been voicing differing opinions on the protest.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has engaged with civil society and self-determination groups, emphasising the need for peace and warning against the destruction witnessed during the Oct 2020 EndSARS protest. He suggested that some individuals might have ulterior motives for disrupting law and order.
For her part, Folashade Tinubu, daughter of President Bola Tinubu, addressed a group of marketers, stating that there would be no protest in Lagos State. She urged parents to warn their children against joining the planned hunger protest on August 1, pointing out that victims of the EndSARS protest are still recovering from their losses nearly four years later.
On July 28, 2024, a verified X user, Fugar 20.10.20 (@Atentemente), posted a video claiming that an armed robbery occurred in Surulere, Lagos State, on July 27, 2024. The user suggested that certain individuals might use this incident as propaganda to link it to the upcoming protest.
The post read: “This is Bode Thomas Surulere, where armed robbery took place yesterday. It may be due to the hardship, but I don’t want the children of the roasted to use it as propaganda that it’s from any protest…”
As of July 29, 2024, the post had garnered over 4,700 views, 2,000 reposts, and 3,300 likes.
DUBAWA observed mixed reactions in the comments, with some people believing the claim and others doubting its authenticity
The video was also shared with captions similar to those seen here.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search on keyframes from the video, revealing that the footage has been online since October 2020. The footage is linked to massive lootings by hoodlums during the EndSARS protests. The search led to earlier posts, as seen here, here, and here.
In October 2020, Nigeria, especially Lagos, experienced significant violence related to the #EndSARS protest, which began as a peaceful movement against police brutality by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The situation escalated on October 20, 2020, when shootings occurred at the Lekki toll gate, leading to widespread violence, looting, and arson.
Reports (here and here) indicate that the looting in the video occurred at the Eric Moore end of Bode Thomas Street Surulere, Lagos. The Lagos State government responded through the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who tweeted on his verified X handle, asking affected businesses to fill out a form for a recovery fund.
A keyword search by DUBAWA did not find any recent reports from credible media outlets about a recent robbery in Surulere. No official statements were found from the Police Public Relations Officer of Lagos State, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, after checking his verified X handle (@BenHundeyin). However, on July 29, 2024, he reposted a response to the claim from X user Temi (@yusuf_temi), clarifying that the video was from the EndSARS protest.
The response read, “This video was taken during the EndSARS protest. Don’t fall for this cheap lie.”
Conclusion
The claim that an armed robbery occurred in Surulere, Lagos State, on July 27, 2024, is misleading. The video showing looting and vandalism is from the 2020 EndSARS protests and is unrelated to recent events. There is no evidence to support the connection between the video and the upcoming #EndBadGovernance protest.
The researcher produced this fact-check as part of the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, which is in partnership with Bridge Radio 98.7FM, Asaba, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
