Rabiu Kwankwaso. Photo source: This Day Live
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Claim: A Facebook user shared a video alleging former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso called for a reprisal attack on Igbos in Kano State.
Verdict: Misleading! DUBAWA’s findings reveal that Kwankwaso never made any statement demanding a reprisal attack on Igbos. The Facebook clip is an edited version of a post the former Kano State governor shared in 2022.
Full Text
On Thursday, March 27, 2025, 16 Northern hunters alleged to be bandits were lynched in Uromi community, Edo State.
The incident sparked public outrage and discourse among northern communities. Meanwhile, an online protest has been launched demanding justice for the lynched victims.
Amidst this widespread agitation, a Facebook user, Dan Jarida, shared a video of former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso condemning the killings of Kano hunters travelling back to Kano State from River State.
In the 50-second video, Kwankwaso, using the Hausa language, publicly criticised the attack on the northern travellers while advocating for a reprisal attack and secession of the Northern states.
“You (Southerners) are killing our people without any reason. We supply beans to you; you kill us and burn the vehicle. We supplied yam to you, you killed us and burnt the vehicle. We supply cattle, sheep, and goats to you, but you still kill. Not long ago, I was informed that they killed a driver and his boys and threw their corpses, and that’s the end of it; no action was taken. But here (in the North), we live peacefully with them (Southerners). Ehn?” The former governor lamented bitterly. “There is going to be separation; we must separate because we can no longer condone this.”
DUBAWA surveyed the engagement statistics the post generated. As of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the video has gained about 42,000 reactions, 1,000 views, 2,600 comments, and 5,600 reposts.
Language barriers and difficulties in recognising AI videos in other languages have led to widespread video sharing. We found a similar video here.
Consequently, the comment section, predominantly in the Hausa language, shows that while some believed the video was authentic, few others incredulously linked the audio to Idris Abdulaziz.
Supportively, @ANasir Danmaliki wrote, “Dan Musa Mai takalmin karfe GABA dai GABA dai jagora na gari,” meaning “Dan Musa, the one with Iron shoe forward, forward, good leader.”
Similarly, Sufyan Abubakar asserted, “Mai girma Distinguish Sen. Rabi’u Musa Allah yaja zamaninka Allah yayima jagora”, meaning “His Excellency, distinguished Senator Rabiu Musa. May Allah grant you a long life and guide you.”
On the contrary, Abdullahi Sani commented, “Wannan maganar Dr Idris Abdulaziz Dutsen Tanshi ne jagoran tirmishe shirka,” meaning, “This is the speech of Dr Idris Abdulaziz Dutsen Tanshi, the leader of tirmishe shirka.”
Because of the varied responses to the post, DUBAWA decided to verify the video’s authenticity.
Verification
We analysed some parts of the video using Yandex and Google Reverse Image Search. The results led us to a similar video of Kwankwaso shared on Facebook in 2022.
When DUBAWA translated the language in the video, he extended Eid-El-Kabir greetings to Northern Muslims. He asked the public to join his New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) by registering ahead of the 2023 elections.
DUBAWA compared the Facebook video clip with the older version shared in 2022. Both video clips have the same green and white window frames.
Secondly, Kwankwaso’s white agbada attire and the chair he sits on are the same in both clips.
DUBAWA also conducted keyword searches to find credible reports on the former governor’s alleged public rant against the Igbos but found no report.
Although Kwankwaso commented about the Edo lynching via his X handle on Mar. 28, 2025, his post contained no divisive statement. He condoled with the victims’ families and urged the authorities to investigate the incident carefully. Premium Times and Vanguard newspapers reported the former governor’s condolence message to the victims’ families.
Conclusion
The claim is false. DUBAWA discovered the video clip that the Facebook claimant shared dates back to 2022.
Sharing the post is unknown to me if to say I violated the standard I will not share the post.
I appeal for review of my account so that it will be free from restriction also I will continue abided by your standards rules.