Image of Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara: Source: AFP.
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Claim: A Facebook user, Ohaukwu Reporters, shared a video showing Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara saying, “Nigeria is gone forever.”
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s analysis shows the video is AI-generated.
Full Text
A Facebook account identified as Ohaukwu Reporters posted a video (archived link here), claiming to feature Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara making alarming statements about Nigeria’s security situation.
In the video, the president said, “Nigeria is gone forever. We call on all Nigerian citizens to wake up before it’s too late for them. Boko Haram is coming more and more.”
As of April 15, 2026, the post had garnered over 344,000 views, 3,000 likes, 2,000 shares, and 277 comments.
Some users reacted strongly to the content. For instance, one user called for Nigeria’s division, while others expressed support for secessionist sentiments and foreign intervention.
Okechukwu A. Eza wrote, “Divide Nigeria now to save lives.”
Fabian Anya also wrote, “God bless you, Sir. Support the struggle for secession; that’s the only permanent solution to this banditry!”
Another user, Courtney Otis Schmidt, said, “They will wake up soon… when they can’t go to parties anymore, reality will sink in.”
Chidiogo Nwaeze also weighed in, calling the attention of the United States (US) President Donald Trump. He wrote, “President Donald J. Trump Archived, did you hear that? Where are your troops, and what are they doing in Nigeria? What are you waiting for before dividing Nigeria so that every region will have the proper revolution?”
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim because of its sensitivity, especially amid Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges and the high-profile figure involved.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted extensive searches across credible news platforms, official statements, and verified social media accounts.
The findings show no record of Alassane Ouattara making such remarks in any public speech, interview, or official communication.
While the Ivorian leader has previously commented on regional security matters, such as peacekeeping efforts in Mali and ECOWAS’ responses to the Niger coup, there is no evidence he has ever described Nigeria as “gone forever.”
To further verify the video’s authenticity, DUBAWA subjected it to multiple digital forensic tools. We used Hive AI, a deepfake detection platform, and it returned a 99.6% probability that the video is AI-generated.
Similarly, Zhuque AI Detection Assistant estimated a 24.57% likelihood of AI alteration.
The audio was also analysed using the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector. The tool rated the voice sample 1/100, indicating a high likelihood of synthetic material or manipulation.
A Reverse Image Search was conducted to determine whether an original version of the video exists online. The results did not reveal any authentic or previously published footage matching the clip in circulation. This suggests that the visuals may have been manipulated by animating a still image to simulate lip movement.
Conclusion
Findings from open-source checks and digital forensic analysis confirm that the video is not authentic. The claim that Alassane Ouattara made such statements about Nigeria is false, and the footage is AI-generated.
