False! No Fire at EcoBank Branch

Claim: A Facebook user, Bindi S Movado, shared photos, claiming that EcoBank at Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown, is on fire—including three other buildings.

Verdict: False! DUBAWA went to the scene to confirm if there had been a fire incident at the EcoBank Siaka Stevens Branch, but there was none. Also, the bank issued a statement published on its Official Facebook Account on May 1, 2025, denying the report. 

Full Text

A  social media user,  Bindi S. Movado, has circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp a report claiming that “EcoBank Sierra Leone is on fire, including three other houses.”

The report was made without any credible news source. 

Hours after he posted the photos, the post has gained 94 likes, 20 comments, and one share. 

The claim has made inroads among social media users. It appears on blogs like The Truth Media SL, SL WISE TV, and SIERRA BILLBOARD232, and garners more likes and shares on Facebook and WhatsApp. 

The claim has spread widely among social media users, creating tension and panic. 

DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim.

Verification

DUBAWA went to the scene to confirm whether there had been a fire at EcoBank’s Branch at Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown, but there was none. 

An official statement from the Bank reveals that the claim is a “false rumour.”

It states that “no such incident occurred,” clarifying that their EcoBank Branch is “safe, secure, and fully operational.”

When DUBAWA subjected the pictures to a Google reverse image search, it found that the photographs used by Bindi S. Movado, Sierra Fox Media, The Truth SL, and SIERRA BILLBOARDS232 were last posted in December 2024  by Imran Sesay and U Sabi Martin. 

Conclusion

The social media claim that the EcoBank Branch at Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown, was on fire on Thursday morning is false.